The Captain's Evaluation
by SpecstacularSC
Summary: Being a guild captain in Tharsis is hard work. How hard? Well, if the evaluation report of this captain's guild is any indicator, it can be... hectic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Entry #1 - "The Captain"**_

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 A.M.**

* * *

Captain Weiss Baldory sat quietly at a small desk, a notebook open in front of him. The desk lamp dimly lit the darkened window before him, and in his reflection, he could see his face - young and unmarred by the trials of combat, which he accredited to his training and being born into nobility (House Baldory was rather steadfast in its determination to make him as presentable to all potential female suitors as possible) - and the dark bags under his eyes, combined with the unhealthy paleness of his skin and the horrid mess his otherwise tame brown hair was, put about ten years on him that he didn't have.

It was no secret that Baldory was tired most days - whether from stress in combat, anxiety plotting the next moves for his guild's mission, exhaustion from trying to keep up with everybody's training regimens and their present strengths and weaknesses, or simply because of the fact that he was a near-insomniac level of workaholic, he couldn't say. But he had lost his once vibrant glow, and some days it was all he could do to even drag himself out of bed, let alone wield his sword and heft his heavy shield, set his feet, and stand fast against a bone-shattering blow from a monster on the offensive. When he was a knight for his homeland, the days were somehow easier. With the knowledge that any moment could lead to combat, Baldory never had the time to feel fatigue, and on the days where the combat was mellow or nonexistent, he could even get away with sleeping the day away to replenish his strength.

Not so, now that he was a guild captain.

Thirty. Thirty was the number of names in his guild's roster. Thirty was the number of people he was tasked with overseeing; commanding; disciplining; training; outfitting; feeding and boarding; the list went on. Funds were always short. Resources were whatever could be gathered in the field to save what little money the guild had. Free time was a punchline in a pub joke, because if anybody was without a task to see to, they were put on skyship cleaning duty for the guild's vessel, the _Sedassis_. Nobody could say that Baldory worked his people like dogs and never took any responsibilities for himself, because he would jump in on any task that was lacking vigor and do the job with his own two hands, oftentimes collapsing unconscious from his perpetually overtaxed state and throwing his guild into a fretful frenzy trying to resuscitate him. If there was a day that Baldory had to himself - one where he wasn't in the inn's clinic, that is - he might have worked through it without realizing it was even there.

In short, the guild life was not an easy one. Not by a long shot. And making it all the more difficult was that Baldory had received a request from the Outland Count, the ruler of Tharsis who was sponsoring Baldory's and so many other guilds, to evaluate his entire roster as well as himself and hand in a full report so that the Count could determine how worthwhile it was to keep them on the mission. This wasn't ordered in spite towards the guilds, it was simply that the Outland Count was trying to look out for his city, and that so happened to include their funds. Several newcomer guilds had joined the effort recently, Baldory's included, and in order to weed out the pretenders from the trustworthy names, something was going to have to give.

Baldory sighed and put his pen to the paper, hoping that his words wouldn't spell the end of his guild. Returning home a disgrace was a less than favorable situation for him.

* * *

 _Guild Captain's Evaluation, Entry 1/15: Self-Evaluation_

 _My name is Weiss Baldory, youngest son of noble House Baldory, veteran knight and first time guild leader. I am captain of Guild Bernoryn, a rookie explorer's guild numbering thirty-one strong including myself, on a mission in service to the Outland Count of Tharsis to reach the great Yggdrasil tree._

 _By the Outland Count's orders, I write this report of my ranks, that we may hopefully prove ourselves worthy of remaining an active part of this mission, though I am aware that the decision ultimately lies with the Outland Count, and not myself._

 _As I am the one writing this report, I feel it only fair that I begin with an evaluation of myself; I only hope that my words are honest and unbiased, because I like to think of myself as a humble soul, and it would be... unfortunate to discover myself otherwise._

 _The land I hail from is far from Tharsis. In that land, my name bears the same weight that the Outland Count's does in this city, but that is neither here nor there. I was trained as a knight of an esteemed Order, whose sole objective is the peace and prosperity of the land which we call home._

 _My position in the Order never once came close to that of a commanding officer. I was, in layman's terms, a "grunt." From the time I was recruited, to the moment of my honorable resignation, I was the frontline soldier who was duty-bound to say "yes sir, no ma'am" when addressed, to follow my orders without complaint even if they disagreed with my moral stance (which they thankfully never did), and to handle any menial task presented to me promptly and professionally. And I was content with this. I never saw myself as a commanding figure, and what the faces of those who were said could write the pages of the darkest tale you would ever read. My only responsibilities were to look after my own well-being, that of my comrades, and especially that of my commanders, to serve with honor and dignity, and to return home to my family alive, with my head held high._

 _I succeeded, of course, else I would not be writing this now. But, that was probably obvious, and I had no reason to insert it into my report, which I now can't erase lest I begin a fresh page, because there is no such thing as "erasable ink," damn it all-!_

 _Beg pardon; my thoughts escaped me temporarily. Rest assured, it will be the last time they do so in this report._

 _As I was saying, I was never a commander as a knight. So, you can imagine how strange it felt to suddenly find myself in that position when I was given the task by my family to come to Tharsis and lead a guild in the task of reaching Yggdrasil._

 _Why did my family make me come here and undertake this task? Because we've fallen on hard times. The people are losing faith in our leadership. In perhaps another three years, we may well be exiled by our own people because of our lack of dependability, and it's thanks to my uncle that this is so. The man thoroughly ruined our standing with the people, just like he ruined the city we are sworn to govern. Rather than risk offending the populace by initiating a draft when war threatened our doorstep - and really, at that point in time, I could have named several families who would have gladly taken up the blade in our honor - he instead called upon a strong, but shady group of mercenaries to do the job for us. They were victorious, but when the time came to pay our dues, they suddenly decided that they wanted the city for themselves and raided the place. It was the first and only time I ever drew blood upon the soil of my youth, but in spite of my efforts to restore my family's damaged honor by defending our people, what was done could not be undone. Ergo, when we received word of this mission to reach Yggdrasil, my family jumped at the chance to redeem ourselves by aiding a foreign land in a history-making effort, and I was the one they volunteered to the task._

 _And here we are now._

 _When I first arrived in Tharsis, I felt a bit ashamed to even be here. This city is flourishing under the careful and wise guidance of a single man, and yet my entire family could barely even stand against a single threat to our own city. I heavily considered turning around and leaving, but I couldn't pack yet more disgrace upon my family's name and still be able to sleep at night, so I carried on with my request._

 _The Guild Hall was my destination, and there I laid down the first building blocks of Bernoryn's foundation. The name was perhaps the only easy part of the whole process - Bernoryn was the name of a man I greatly respected, who had often spoke of venturing out and making a name for himself as an explorer before he passed away. It made too much sense to me not to go that route, and so i went with it. Admittedly, I received strange looks from some of the people who were nearby enough to here me announce the name of my fledgling guild, but what they think versus what I feel is no concern of mine._

 _I thought at first that nobody would give my guild a second glance, and that I would be reduced to making a fool of myself, sitting at a table in the streets, shouting empty promises at anybody who would lend their ear just to get one of them to lend their blade to my endeavors. To my surprise, I was very, very wrong. In fact, the line of potentials going to land a position in my ranks stretched almost out of the Hall entirely. Even the veteran guilds who were used to having long lines looked a bit seasick when they witnessed mine. To this day, I still don't know if it was because my name somehow got around or if Bernoryn was just that inviting an opportunity for people. I do have a feeling that part of it might have been sex appeal, given how many of them were young women who were doing a poor job hiding their lustful blushes. Worry not, they did not find a way into my ranks... or, I certainly hope they didn't. If I'm going to command the lives of others, I'd rather have people who hate me but would lay their lives down to defend me at my beck and call so that they could continue hating me, rather than lovesick puppies who would let me get slaughtered and never lift a finger to try and stop it because they were blinded by the hearts in their eyes._

 _As I have mentioned, the number was narrowed down to thirty souls - the majority were Landsknechts, followed closely by Fortresses, then Snipers, Medics, Runemasters, Dancers, and finally Nightseekers. I... tried to be as indiscriminating as possible, but I find myself greatly put off by the Nightseekers, only recruiting about three of them out of the fifteen or so who applied. If I may be blunt, Nightseekers are just creepy. I have no doubt that they are very skilled, but it seems that one of the prerequisites is an unnervingly perverse, almost sexual infatuation with death. The three that I recruited - Nachtdol, Schatolch and Kreuschat - were the only ones who didn't follow this trend. But, I'll get into that when I get to their evaluations._

 _In the end, I came away with a full roster, and once I went to register my guild in your office and received the test to find the Iridescent Ore that powers Tharsis' skyships, my job unofficially began..._

* * *

 **The Old Mine, 7 AM (several months prior)**

* * *

Captain Baldory glanced to his left and right occasionally as he marched through the thickly-wooded area, in search of the mine where the Outland Count presumed he might find the Iridescent Ore he was tasked to retrieve. He had been warned ahead of time of monsters in the area, perhaps not overly difficult to defeat, but certainly a challenge to the inexperienced fighter. Baldory had the experience under his belt - fighting both men and beast in order to keep the barracks standing strong had served him well in that regard - but he remained on guard anyhow, just in case. Hell, that man Whirlwind, who had kindly explained about the need to chart out one's own maps and shown them where in the area the mine was, had nearly gotten himself impaled when his sudden appearance startled Baldory.

For the sake of proving his worth to his men, Baldory had gathered four of his recruits to come with him. Thinking that fights would be more a matter of attrition than who struck first, Baldory brought a Landsknecht, a Medic, a Fortress and a Runemaster. He, himself, was adorned in full steel, marked with the colors and symbols of Noble House Baldory and the order to which he formerly belonged. A shield about the length of his torso was strapped firmly around his left arm, and he carried a long double-edged sword in his right hand. As a general rule, Baldory never sheathed his sword when in the field - attacks could happen anywhere, at any time. Being unprepared had cost him many allies in the past.

"I don't mind telling you, but that armor looks ridiculous," the Medic - a white-haired young boy garbed in dark medical attire - piped up.

Baldory kept his eyes on the front and refused to acknowledge the statement.

"I mean, I suppose it's practical if you're getting attacked, but you kind of stick out, you know?"

Baldory smirked. The Medic was certainly one to talk about "sticking out," as he was the only other person in the group aside from Baldory who wore dark colors.

"...He's ignoring me, isn't he?" The Medic asked his three comrades.

"I get the feeling he's not much of a conversationalist," one of the women - the veritable she-titan Fortress of the group - noted.

"Do you think he speaks a foreign language, and just doesn't understand what we're saying? I wanna see..."

The woman the voice belonged to - the Landsknecht - suddenly ran in front of Baldory, stopping him in his tracks.

"DO-YOU-SPEAK-OUR-LANGUAGE?" She asked loudly, and slowly.

"...Fall in or I'm cutting you from this mission," Baldory ordered.

"Oh! Oh, he was just ignoring us, okay..." The Landsknecht scratched her head nervously as she returned to her place behind Baldory.

"...So, about your armor-" the Medic tried again.

"My armor was designed to protect, not conceal. If you're so worried about not being seen, I'll put you in a team of Nightseekers and let you figure it out on your own," Baldory interrupted.

"Well, I mean I get that, but there's monsters-"

"I'm well aware that there are monsters here. The Outland Count said as such before we set out. That's why I'm wearing armor in the first place." Baldory turned and faced the mouthy Medic. "Something which you could stand to benefit from doing, yourself."

The Medic's expression turned indignant, and his face red, but as he tried to find the words to store back, he fell silent as he realized that Baldory had the upper hand in the matter, and so decided to simply glare at the ground quietly.

"... Speaking of monsters," Nordauber, the Runemaster said quietly. His was the only name Baldory remembered - though he had told himself not to get too connected to the group in case the guild didn't work out, something about how cold and emotionlessly Nordauber had introduced himself during his recruitment had stuck with Baldory.

Nordauber gestured in front of Baldory. "I said, speaking of monsters..." he repeated.

Baldory turned around and had just enough time to lift his shield before a large rat threw itself against it. Caught off-guard, Baldory didn't have the time to set his feet and stumbled back a step. He was wick to regain his stance, though, and brought his sword to bear as the rodent shook itself out and bristled for another attack.

"Fortress, to the front!" Baldory called.

The lady Fortress quickly took up her stance beside Baldory and smacked the rodent away a second time as it leapt for the Medic, who ducked quickly behind her and took a knee. His wasn't technically a fighting role, so it was prudent of him to be as small and unnoticeable as possible until somebody was injured.

Still dazed, the rodent was only aware enough of its surroundings to jump back from the Landsknecht's attempted stab, leaving her sword stuck in the ground, but was warded off by a sudden burst of flame before it could counterattack. Nordauber had been readying his shot from the moment the fight started, and only now released it in order to prevent injury to his comrade.

Now surrounded, the rodent became even more ferocious. It charged at Baldory, ducking around the Landsknecht and managing to dodge a swing from the Fortress and another bolt of fire from Nordauber. The Medic jumped out and managed to tag its back end with his staff as it raced by, but that only seemed to make it angrier as it leapt at Baldory.

Once more, a shield met the rodent's face, and as it rolled over onto its feet this time, the sharp blade of Baldory's sword came down through its spine to ensure that it would be the last time.

"...So did we win?" The Landsknecht said as she finally freed her sword from the dirt.

"This fight. But I rather doubt a single rat is the end of our struggles," Baldory replied. And then he looked past the Landsknecht. "And sometimes I hate being right."

The group turned around, and several paces behind them was a baboon, several times larger than the average human being, stalking towards them angrily. Evidently, they had stepped into its territory, and the gesture was not appreciated.

"I assume you understand now why I stress the importance of armor?" Baldory asked the Medic.

"Yeah, alright, I get it already! What the hell do we do about that thing?!" The Medic asked worriedly.

"We avoid it. I can't be sure that we're as prepared to handle it as we were for that rat." Baldory motioned the group to follow him, and they moved back along the path, ducking into cover once they were out of the creature's line of sight.

Confused by their disappearance, the baboon made after the group, unaware of their hiding spot in the brush just beside it. As it slowly stomped past them, the ground shaking slightly with each step, Baldory quietly led his group around behind it, and up the path out had come from. He made sure to dutifully fill in the map as they went.

"If there's one, there's bound to be more," Nordauber cautioned.

"Yes, and I have the worst feeling that I know where they're going to be," Baldory replied.

Sure enough, as they reached the clearing which led to the mine, Baldory spotted two more of the oversized simians wandering around the mine. Almost as though they were guarding it.

"Great. Now how are we going to get at the ore?" The lady Fortress grumbled.

"The same way we got past the first of these beasts. We just have to be smart about it, is all," Baldory replied.

"How are we supposed to get by two of them?" The Medic asked.

"Two is hardly the worst number you can hear when it comes to sneaking about. Just follow me," Baldory said.

It took some doing, but Baldory was able to lead the group around the baboons and into the mine. He opted to stand guard at the entrance while they fished around for any leftover ore, as he had no experience mining and wouldn't know what to look for, and after a moment, he found himself staring down one of the angered beasts as it noticed he was there.

 _Damn. No getting around this one. We're fighting our way out,_ Baldory realized.

"Damn it, don't tell me we have to fight that thing, now!" The Medic groaned as he and the others came back to the entrance, bags stuffed with their mining spoils.

"You must have read my mind. We may even have both on our hands. I sure hope you all have enough experience to deal with this," Baldory said.

"Their fur is thin because of the heat, and their primary strength lies in their arms. Fire would be our greatest asset, and if we can bind their arms, they're practically defenseless," Nordauber explained.

"Good to see one of us is detail-oriented," Baldory remarked. "Fortress to the front! We're getting out of here!"

The lady Fortress took her enormous, wedge-shaped shield by its side handles and hefted it like a giant spearhead, and with a loud cry, she charged at the baboon directly in front of them, stabbing it in the right arm with the sharp tip of her shield and pushing it with all her strength onto its back. She ripped her shield or of its arm and jumped back into formation as it writhed in pain, and Baldory rushed to the back of the group in order to shield Nordauber and the Medic from the incoming surprise attack of the second one.

Baldory felt his eyes shoot open from pain as the second baboon's attack connected with his shield and knocked him off his feet. It felt as if his arm had just exploded. He tried to move it, but it seemed to suddenly weigh a ton, and pain wracked his body with every little twitch.

The Medic got his eye on Baldory and quickly rushed to his aid, keeping behind the wall of fire Nordauber had thrown up to ward the second baboon off while the Fortress and Landsknecht did what they could to distract the injured first one.

"Don't move your arm! It's broken!" The Medic shouted over the din of the fight. "Just hold still, I can fix this..."

Baldory grabbed a small dagger from his belt and bit down hard into the hilt of it as the Medic began his work. In the ten agonizing seconds that followed, the Medic had set his arm forcibly and cast a healing spell over him that reconnected the broken limb. Baldory instinctively flexed his arm. He could move it without it hurting as bad, which would have to do for this instance.

The Medic backed away as Baldory rolled over and stood back up. Nordauber saw him from the corner of his eye and reformed the wall of fire into a large fireball, which he promptly threw in the baboon's face. As the baboon let out a ghastly shriek, Baldory ducked under its flailing arms and stabbed it through the chest down to the hilt. He pulled back and ducked out of the way as the beast swung wildly at him, and discovered an opening at the side where he was able to get a second stab in. This time, Nordauber had unleashed a second fireball that again struck the oversized simian in the face, knocking it off balance and onto its stomach. Baldory jumped onto the baboon's back and jammed his sword into the base of its skull as far as he could. The beast went limp, indicating that the job was done.

Baldory turned at the sound of a shout to see the Fortress go flying in much the same way he did. The Medic rushed to her side, with only the Landsknecht to defend him as Nordauber tried to fight the baboon back with fire. It didn't look as though much had been done to it, and it almost seemed like the fire was doing nothing to it.

Baldory winced at the prospect of re-breaking his arm, but somebody had to take up the Fortress' slack. He rushed in and braced as hard as he could, shield held above the Medic's and Fortress' heads in both hands.

With a resounding clang, the baboon's good arm came crashing down on Baldory's shield and sent him sprawling on the ground once more. This time, it wasn't just his arms that were broken - it was both of his legs as well. His knees had snapped like splintering wood from the impact.

"Holy hell! I just fixed you, Cap!" The Medic exclaimed as he finished up with the lady Fortress, who quickly sprang to her feet to block a second incoming shot from the baboon that threatened to wipe out the Landsknecht and Nordauber along with it.

The lady Fortress was successful in blocking the attack - but, unfortunately, the attack landed hard enough to throw off her balance, and she unintentionally whirled around and took her shield upside the back of the Medic's head, sending him straight to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh shit," the lady Fortress gasped.

"Stop worrying about us, just finish that damn thing off!" Baldory barked, each word like hellfire across his body.

Nordauber turned and unleashed a fireball which struck the beast in the sternum, and as it recoiled in pain, the lady Fortress moved around it and dug her shield into the ground behind its right foot, effectively taking its legs out from under it as it tripped over her. The baboon landed hard on the ground, and the Landsknecht took her chance to jump atop it and stab her sword as hard as she could muster into its neck. Blood spurted skyward as the creature shrieked its last breath.

"Good damn riddance," the lady Fortress spat.

"Captain!" The Landsknecht called out worriedly, jumping off the beast and rushing to his side.

"I can't move," Baldory grunted in pain.

"I'll take care of the little guy - it's my fault he's all banged up anyhow. You two are gonna have to carry the Captain out," the lady Fortress said, slinging the unconscious Medic onto her back.

Nordauber picked up Baldory's sword and placed it back in its sheath, laid his dented shield over his chest, then took the captain's waist, and the Landsknecht hooked her arms across his sternum. They lifted him up as gently as they could, and he did his best not to cry out as pain shot through him in spades.

After many hours of slow going - and an intense few minutes as the group did their level best to sheesh around the remaining baboon again - the five finally arrived back at the entrance of the area, where Whirlwind was waiting for them.

"So I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say you made some new friends at the mine," Whirlwind said in an attempt to make light humor, but Baldory could tell he was horrified by what he saw.

"Well, I'm sure that you can get yourselves fixed up back in town. For now, let's see how that map of yours turned out..."

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn clinic room, 8 PM**

* * *

Baldory woke up groggily, discovering himself in a sterilized bed at the inn. Next to him, the Medic sat, joking about with some of the other Medics Baldory had recruited. The rest of the team he had been traveling with were all loitering about on random places in the room.

"Well, doctors, how long am I to stay in bed?" Baldory asked groggily.

"Hey, look who finally woke up. You passed out about the time we got back into town. The whole guild was freaking out about what happened to you two," the lady Tower reported. "By the way, doc, sorry for knocking you out back there."

"How many times are you going to apologize for that? Like this is the first time I've ever taken a hard knock, come on," the Medic replied.

"The innkeeper was pretty sure we had tried and failed to make you into a marionette, too," the Landsknecht added.

"Let me be a good lesson for if any of the rest of you happen to break all four limbs at the same time," Baldory said, sitting up. He was pleased to see that his arms and legs were back in working order again.

"It's incredibly painful?" Nordauber said.

"Oh, you have no idea," Baldory replied.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 AM (present)**

* * *

. _..And as the story goes, once I recovered from my injuries, I and my team presented the Iridescent Ore to you, and our guild was made official. For my first time ever being a leader of anything, I'd say it could have gone much, much worse. Yes, I was in a bad state, and yes I had gotten my Medic injured; but nobody died, we successfully charted the map of the area, and we were able to complete our mission in the same day that it was assigned. Overall, as far as this self-evaluation goes, I'm confident that I'm capable of taking this guild far... Perhaps to the Yggdrasil, even. But, that depends on the rest of this report._

* * *

Baldory put the pen down and closed the notebook, making sure to stow it in the desk drawer. He turned off the lamp and dragged his tired body to his bed. The rest of the evaluation would have to wait for when he was more of a mind to write anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Entry #2 - "The Ace Team"**_

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 AM**

* * *

"Captain Baldory, you really must get to sleep. It's not good for you to be up so late like this," the innkeeper said quietly as she wrapped a blanket around Baldory's shoulders.

"This is the only time where I'm with my own thoughts. My men aren't supposed to know about this evaluation, and they're awake and close by all hours of the day. If I don't do this now, the Outland Count will never see it," Baldory responded.

"Yes, but you still need your rest," the innkeeper countered.

"I'll rest once I've finished this entry. I don't need to turn it in right away - the Count is very generous with his patience. But thank you for showing concern for me," Baldory replied.

The innkeeper nodded and quietly left the room. When he was certain the door was shut, Baldory took up his pen.

* * *

 _Guild Captain's Evaluation, Entery 2/15: "The Ace Team"_

 _I realize that I never explained my reasoning behind the fifteen entries in my previous report. What I intend to do is first evaluate the separate teams I've placed my men in, and then the separate groups they belong to. I've also made room for the Sedassis crew - they've helped my people and I so much that I would be a dishonest man if I didn't include them, regardless of the fact that they're not technically part of Bernoryn. There's thirty people in the guild, proper, so there are five teams. I've already evaluated myself in a separate report. The crew takes a seventh spot. And the respective groups the guild members belong to will take up the remaining eight places, if my math is sound._

 _I have often been told my method of doing things is strange. I don't deny it._

 _Now then, to the evaluation. This first team is who I privately call my "ace team." They are comprised of the four who accompanied me on the Iridescent Ore mission, with the addition of one of my three Nightseekers, Nachtdol - of the three, he is the most business-minded, and possibly the least sexually aroused by killing things. Thank goodness for small favors._

 _The four I traveled with, I know well their capabilities. They were strong and capable enough to see us through to victory with very little ordering about from me, and all without dying, though injuries were sustained. And having now seen what Nachtdol is capable of, I'm certain that I can trust them with the heaviest weight of this guild's responsibilities._

 _There is one setback to them, however... They're, er... oh, there's no polite way to say this. They're imbeciles._

 _I should clarify, they're all very brilliant in their own ways. Heilarzt, young and foul-tempered though he is, is about one of the most talented Medics I've ever met; Armelas is like a cockroach, which I intend as a compliment because she's practically indestructible, despite all the harm she comes to; Nordauber might not be the most personable fellow, but I would be hard pressed to trust many other Runemasters to have my back in a fight; Schiverta is equal parts a bull and a wall of steel, wrapped into one frighteningly large package; and Nachtdol, though he might not be the most stealthy of Nightseekers, has a way with moving quickly and striking weak points that I, myself, could never hope to challenge._

 _I say that they're imbeciles because their strengths are very singular, and pronounce their weaknesses greatly. Armelas' indestructible nature seems only to exist due in great part to her foolishness - she carries a shield that she never thinks to use, for one thing, and she's rather absent-minded at the worst times; Schiverta tends to be blunt and unfriendly, though I get the feeling she doesn't truly mean to be, and her defensive strategy seems to take away from her ability to land any good hits of her own; Nordauber is so focused on his magic that his flanks are almost always exposed, and his frigid demeanor makes him difficult to work with on a personal level, which I fear may hinder me as a leader in the future; Heilarzt seems to have very little tolerance for the people around him, and though I don't see that being a problem as a Medic (because my time in and out of military clinic tents has shown me that some patients can truly be stubborn fools of men, with whom only tough love has any effect), I do see it being a problem as the ace team's de facto leader, which was a position he seemed to just assume for himself despite my officially giving command to Nordauber - not to mention that he isn't built for combat, and so can't really deliver or take many hits without disastrous repercussions; and Nachtdol may not share the obsessive bloodlust of his fellow Nightseekers, but this is traded for a very sarcastic attitude which tends to come back to him. Violently. Aside from that, he - like all Nightseekers - is built lightweight, for quick and precise guerrilla ambush-and-retreat attacks, not open combat. As a result, when he is out in the open for long periods, his frailty rears its ugly head, and his speed fails him, which come together in a horrible harmony of pain for him._

 _I would never speak ill of my people without good reason, and based on what I've written here, compounded with the many complaints I receive from Heilarzt, I have plenty of good reasons. In fact, Heilarzt recently relayed one incident to me about a prior mission that had greatly bothered him.._.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 7 AM (Six days ago)**

* * *

"Hey, captain? Are you free at the moment?" Heilarzt - the white-haired Medic - asked.

"I can always make time for my people's needs. What's wrong?" Baldory asked, gesturing to a seat.

"It's this damn team of idiots you- oh, uh, that was probably pretty blunt of me..." Heilarzt said, catching himself.

"Didn't stop you from being so candid in the Old Mine. And I like to think that I come from a similar enough background as you all to be able to speak with you informally, if it makes confiding in me any easier. By all means, don't hold back on my account," Baldory said.

"Oh, good. Because those jackasses are really starting to get on my nerves, and I don't know how much longer I can stay in the group," Heilarzt griped.

"Care to explain?" Baldory asked.

"Well, you know how you sent us to go map out the Valley Springs to the east of the Lush Woodlands?" Heilarzt asked.

"I do indeed. I also recall that I got some rather foul looks from Aubatilde and her lot for it," Baldory replied.

"Heh heh, you could almost see the steam coming off her- a...anyway," Heilarzt said, "It's about that. We were able to complete the map."

"...But?" Baldory inquired.

"But, it didn't exactly go well..." Heilarzt replied.

* * *

 **Valley Springs, 7 AM (eight days ago)**

* * *

"It's kind of a bummer the captain isn't coming with us on these missions anymore," the Landsknecht, a young woman with orange-blonde hair named Armelas, said.

"Eh, he wasn't really all that good anyhow. I mean, he did okay, but at least I didn't get all my limbs broken," Heilarzt said with a shrug.

* * *

"...Oh. Well. I'll be sure to take your criticism into consideration, then," Baldory said flatly.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just being honest!" Heilarzt said defensively.

"Just continue with your story," Baldory sighed.

"Sheesh, sensitive, much?" Heilarzt muttered. "Anyhow..."

* * *

"Captain Baldory is as new to the idea of leading a guild as we are to the concept of being a part of it," Nordauber, the Runemaster from before, spoke up. His voice was gentle, but emotionless, as he idly brushed one of his shoulder-length golden locks behind his ear. "It is unfair of us to judge him when he is trying to gain his footing on unfamiliar ground."

"Yeah, what frosty said," Schiverta, the lady Fortress with short blonde hair, said. "Besides, he took a hit that probably would've killed me and only suffered broken limbs from it as a result, so I'm really in the guy's debt."

"...I would thank you to no longer refer to me as 'frosty'," Nordauber requested.

"Sure thing, frosty," Schiverta replied.

Nordauber let out a quiet, but long sigh.

"Am I the only one who thinks it's hot out here?" Armelas asked.

"Monsters," Nachtdol, who had been quiet throughout the conversation, spoke up suddenly.

"No, I asked if it was hot-" Armelas objected.

"No, damn it, monsters!" Nachtdol snapped, shoving Armelas to the ground as a large frog flew through the air where she had been standing.

"What the hell was that f- GAH!" Armelas yelped, mid-rant, as she scrambled to her feet and drew her sword.

"See, when I say 'monsters,' that's your cue to get the hell out of the way of whatever I'm saying 'monsters' about," Nachtdol snapped.

* * *

"Because that's good team coordination," Baldory said, shaking his head.

"Right? It made me almost regret calling you out for getting wasted when you were with us that one time," Heilarzt replied.

"...Gee. Thanks. Thanks a bunch. I'm so touched," Baldory grumbled.

"So anyways..." Heilarzt continued.

* * *

"Die die die die _die die die die DIE!_ " Armelas cried as she stabbed the twitching corpse of the gigantic frog repeatedly, finally stopping and breathing heavily after the twentieth time.

"...Pretty sure it's dead now," Heilarzt said.

"Shit, even I don't get that crazy over killing things," Nachtdol remarked.

"You don't get crazy over killing things," Nordauber clarified.

"It's true," Nachtdol confirmed.

"That had better be the last frog I have to deal with today!" Armelas snapped. "They're so icky..."

"Well, you're gonna be disappointed, then," Schiverta said, nodding in the direction of a large group of the frogs slowly hopping their way towards the group.

"Hey, Nachtdol, don't Nightseekers have the ability to paralyze things? Can't we just immobilize them and have easy pickings?" Heilarzt asked hopefully.

"You put far too much faith in this paralysis poison," Nachtdol replied, holding up a nearly-empty vial. "What you don't see is how much I needed to deal with that frog from before."

"...Seriously." Heilarzt blinked in disbelief.

"Listen, Medic-boy, if you think you've got a more perfected formula for a highly unstable paralysis poison, then by all means, I'll put you in front of the chemistry equipment and let you prove me an idiot. Until then, shut up and be glad I have anything on me at all," Nachtdol growled, glaring at Heilarzt, who rolled his eyes.

"How many frogs do you wager you can paralyze before the vial runs dry?" Nordauber asked.

About then, a much bigger scorpion dropped from a tree nobody was paying attention to beside the group.

"Decidedly less than I wish I had to deal with this guy," Nachtdol replied, his eye twitching.

* * *

"...It wasn't strange to see Deathstalkers in the Valley Springs, it was just... Well... We were less than well-prepared to deal with one _right just then_ , you know?" Heilarzt explained.

"We were equally as ill-equipped to fight two baboons at the Old Mine. Yes, I believe I understand completely," Baldory replied.

"Oh good, you know where I'm coming from. So, then we actually get to fighting, right? And we're dealing with those frogs first, and you know you can't just deal with the frogs and expect the freaking scorpion to stay out of it, so..." Heilarzt continued.

* * *

"Gah! My legs! I can't move!" Armelas shouted, as the strike of the Deathstalker's stinger locked up the muscles in her legs.

"Move your shield in front of the Landsknecht, I need to get an antidote-!" Heilarzt tried to say to Schiverta, whom he was crouched behind.

Suddenly, a loud crack rang out through the air, and Nachtdol's limp body was sent flying from the Deathstalker's tail slap, rolling somewhere on the ground behind Nordauber, who was finishing off the last of the frogs with carefully placed ice spikes through the abdomens.

"Did... Did Nachtdol just _die?!_ Nachtdol just freaking died, didn't he?!" Heilarzt asked in shock.

Schiverta grunted as she absorbed the blow of the Deathstalker's tail against her shield. "...Yeah, pretty sure he did."

"Damn it..." Heilarzt grumbled as he sprang to his feet and ran to Nachtdol's corpse.

* * *

"Wait, did you just say that Nachtdol was killed in action? He looked surprisingly alive to me when you all came back," Baldory interrupted.

"The nice thing about the medical trade is that we've developed these wonderful little tonics called 'Nectars' which negate the effects of death. That's about all they do, though, and you wake up still mostly dead until your wounds are properly healed, but at least you can go to a pub later and get free drinks by bragging to your buddies about how you came back to life because you thought the afterlife was boring," Heilarzt explained.

"Hmm. I'll have to keep that in mind," Baldory muttered. "In any event, shall we continue?"

* * *

"Ow!" Nachtdol yelped as Heilarzt's hand brushed a bruise on his shoulder.

"Oh, quit bitching, at least you're alive," Heilarzt muttered as he continued to wrap Nachtdol's arm.

"So because I'm not dead anymore means I'm not allowed to be in pain? What sense does that make?" Nachtdol snarled.

"The kind of sense where whining will make me hurt you worse if you don't shut up, that's what," Heilarzt replied.

"I was _dead,_ how much more pain can I be in after that?" Nachtdol snorted.

"Oh trust me, death is easy compared to some of the medical sins I've seen and read about," Heilarzt said.

Armelas came back to the campfire and tossed on another log - night had fallen by the time the fight was over, and Nordauber had made the suggestion that the team set camp for the night and hell their wounds, rather than try and press on with their injuries. Nobody had heard him say it, however, and to his unexpressed annoyance, when Heilarzt said it again, everybody credited him for smart thinking.

When Armelas dropped the log into the fire, sparks shot out in everybody's faces, causing the group to flinch.

"Hey, watch it! I'm not trying to flambé these things, I'm just trying to fry them!" Schiverta shook her head and turned the makeshift spit again.

"What're you making?" Armelas asked.

"Please tell me it's not frog legs..." Nachtdol muttered.

"It's frog legs," Schiverta replied.

"Great. Terrific. Now I'm going to have a stomachache along with all my injuries," Nachtdol griped.

"Well, you can just deal with it. You eat what I cook, or you go hungry. I'm pretty sure that's not a hard choice to make," Schiverta fired back.

"I have to eat frogs, now...?" Armelas asked, looking rather green.

"Actually, I heard frogs taste like chicken," Heilarzt offered.

"Oh, great! Now I can never eat chicken again!" Armelas wailed.

"...I think the legs are burning," Nordauber said.

"What? Oh, shit!" Schiverta said as she noticed how blackened the frog legs had become.

"Did anybody bring something else? I don't wanna eat that," Armelas whined.

"Hey, hey, it's fine! Just peel the burnt part off and you don't even notice it happened!" Schiverta said victoriously, munching on the let she had grabbed.

Armelas lurched, clutching at her gut and covering her mouth.

"If you're gonna lose your shit, go do it somewhere else," Schiverta said flatly.

* * *

"The next day, we finished off the rest of the map, had a scuffle with a really big deer - it wasn't anything horrible, Armelas just got confused and thought that Schiverta was the deer because it knocked out her equilibrium during the fight. No worries, Schiverta didn't get hurt - and after that, we decided to come back here. But long story short, I can barely handle these assholes. It feels like I'm the straight man in a group of jokers," Heilarzt claimed.

Baldory coughed into his hand pointedly.

"Alright, so maybe Nordauber is kind of decent, too. And I guess Schiverta makes up for her bad cooking by being a halfway decent shield when I need one... And Armelas is dependable, if nothing else... And, uh, I guess Nachtdol's not half bad either..." Heilarzt's voice for quieter with each statement, until he was rendered silent by his own revelations.

For a moment, Baldory and Heilarzt sat quietly, staring at each other.

"...Well, they're still assholes, but I guess I can keep working with them for now," Heilarzt said finally, and as he stood up, he added, "Thanks, Cap, good talk."

Baldory blinked once after Heilarzt left the room.

"...Uh. Sure? But I didn't do anything," he said to the empty room.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 AM (present)**

* * *

 _Ultimately, whatever poor qualities the ace team has are vastly outweighed by their more stellar ones. While I suspect I may have complications with them in the future, I feel that they will be minor enough to not pose any great threat to the mission as a whole. I mean, much as I dislike hearing that I was the weak link in a situation, Heilarzt is fairly spot-on: my presence in the group didn't really add anything that was lost when Nachtdol took my place. Maybe I was able to keep them better in line, but if that's the only thing I provided to the team, then that's hardly a detriment to them to not have. Frankly, I think they benefit from such freedom - back when I was a knight, my platoon operated better when we were allowed to be our honest selves in heated situations like that. We were a chaotic mess, certainly, but we were a chaotic mess who managed to pull through in the end. We saw the good, the bad, the strange and the mundane of every man we fought beside, and we knew that somebody wanted that man to come home to them, so we did our level best to ensure it, and failure weighed on us heavily. If every person was like a marionette, with their strings attached to the hand of a puppeteer who did not abide any differing opinions from the status quo, I feel that combat scenarios would be far more bloody than they are - when you don't have any emotional connection to the people around you, you don't really care as much when they are felled; just call in the next puppet and keep going. That frightens me, that there are people like that out there, and I should hope that my men and I never become those people._

 _With that said, however, I did feel that I needed to take greater measures to get the team to work together more fluidly. After all, I suffered a death in my ranks, and though these Nectars that Heilarzt informed me of did their duty in bringing Nachtdol back from death's door - a resource I sadly never knew and now wish had existed back when I was a knight, as it would have saved many more lives than were lost, perhaps even preserving my family's honor at home - I would rather that such resources not see too much use in the future. And for that to happen, I realized that I would have to spend more time training my people in and out of their respective groups, so that they could properly feel each other out and see where they stood. Efforts in that regard have been slow-going, but progressing in a positive direction, I believe, what with this only having been about a week since that incident. If we are allowed to remain a part of the Yggdrasil mission, I have a good feeling that they will continue improving. Time will tell, right?_

Baldory yawned silently into his free hand, and realized that he was more tired than he first thought. Deciding that what he had written would suffice, he put away the notebook and pen, turned out the desk lamp, and dragged himself into his bed. He was asleep before hee could loft his legs into the bed, and so slept in an awkward, slumped pose.

The door to Bernoryn's suite opened slowly, and the innkeeper peeked her head in. She had been secretly sitting outside the room, waiting for Baldory to go to sleep. Though it wasn't her business to pry, she couldn't quench her curiosity, and the urge to learn more about Bernoryn was killing her.

The innkeeper crept into the room as quietly as she could, and opened the desk drawer carefully, taking Baldory's notebook out. She then crept back out of the room and to her office, where she proceeded to read what Baldory had written thus far.

"...Well, his handwriting is lovely," she mused to herself as she continued reading.

It was like an epic poem to her. Every word of Baldory's report that she read, her emotions cycled through. Some parts enchanted her; some infuriated, in particular the part about Heilarzt's commentary about Baldory; and some words saddened her, like those which described the reason for Baldory's presence in Tharsis. Before she knew it, she had reached the end of what he had written presently, and after a quiet moment to herself, she sighed deeply.

"Sounds like the Outland Count's mission is a lot for him and his guild to handle. I hope they can pull through, they seem like a promising group for this," the innkeeper said to herself. "Maybe I should make them something special before they set to work later in today..."

With this thought in mind, the innkeeper crept back up to the Bernoryn suite and returned Baldory's notebook to the desk drawer he had stowed it in, then went to need herself. She was going to have to be up bright and early for the guilds, and she wouldn't be in any shape to do any work if she wore herself out.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Entry #3 - "The B-Team"**_

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 8 AM**

* * *

It was an unusual day for Baldory. As he and the rest of the guild had woken up to prepare to work for the day, the innkeeper Dalla had suddenly intervened. Midway through his assigning of the day's duties to his people, Dalla had come to the Explorer's Guild Hall with some farce about the Outland Count ordering Bernoryn to take a day to themselves as a small reward for the hard work they had been providing for the city's benefit, as well as incentive to continue doing well. What made Baldory realize it was a farce was when Dalla refused to answer his questions about why the Outland Count wouldn't have just sent a guard to fetch the guild captain and have him be informed in person.

Certain she was lying, though not one to turn down an offer of rest, Baldory had simply shrugged and told the rest of the guild to enjoy their free day. The man had never seen such joyous applause before.

Baldory didn't take the bait, however - all this meant to him was that he could now get to his evaluation entry early, rather than being awake in the dead of night writing it. And so, he picked up his pen and flipped open his notebook.

* * *

 _Guild Captain's Evaluation, Entry 3/15: "The B-Team"_

 _It's very easy to guess that a guild can't function simply on the backs of one good squadron, and you would be correct to assume that I follow this line of logic as well. I try and train my people to all be the "good squadron," with mixed to positive results. There is, of course, the occasional bad egg, but that's an entry for another time._

 _There's one group, in particular, who I could almost call my other ace team. They're strong, organized, have their heads set on the goal, and aren't afraid to go to dangerous lengths to get there if they need to. They each have their own strengths which play off their weaknesses, and for the most part, they get along fairly well, save for the occasional spat or scuffle on a frustrated day. However, I do not call them my other ace team. Instead, I refer to them in private as my "B-team." Why don't I call them my other ace team, if they're so good? Well, in part, I find them more to be the team I turn to when my ace team is preoccupied and I desperately need dependable bodies to take on a task of utmost importance... But, it has more to do with my simply not being able to trust them completely. And there's a reason behind that:_

 _Aubatilde._

 _She's one of my Landsknechts. She's very business-minded, and excels at everything she does. A regular prodigy, if you will. I assigned her the position of squad commander for the B-team, because her background of consistent officer or otherwise senior ranks in every job she's ever previously held has shown that she's more than able to handle the pressure, and with ease, at that. She looks out for her fellow guildmates, and is friendly to a fault when she has time off and is in a good mood._

 _But, all these good traits are merely compliments. As I said, she's the primary reason I don't trust my B-team as much as I wish I could._

 _She and I share common ground - we are both nobility of foreign lands whose names were slandered by tragedy, and we both came to Tharsis after hearing of the Yggdrasil effort to try and repair our family names. Unfortunately, because she knows this, she tries to use it to her advantage and milk the jobs out of me that she feels will bolster her popularity in the public eye. I know she does, I can see the glint in her eyes whenever she inquires oh-so-sweetly about work to be done. She wants her people back home to hear of her exploits - "look what I've accomplished, see how great I am? Don't I just look the picture of a good a leader for you?" - whereas I understand that it's only through trial and tribulation that I can ever hope to succeed, because it was through trial and tribulation that my family came into their status in the first place._

 _My goal is to reach the Yggdrasil; not for the fame or the fortune of it, but because there are many struggles and challenges that I'll have to overcome, and because nobody has ever mapped a path to the Yggdrasil before, meaning that my efforts would help to greatly shape the very world we live in before our own eyes. I wish to regain my people's trust by showing them that I've still got the power within me to do the great things they once lauded House Baldory for accomplishing. The old Baldory might hasn't died, it was merely unprepared._

 _Aubatilde, conversely, wants to win her people's trust through celebrity buzz from the people of Tharsis. In her mind, if she can woo the hearts of the people of a foreign land, then word will make its way home to her people, and then they must surely see it as their mistake for shunning her and take her back with open arms. It's a dangerous and foolish road, one I've tried to persuade her not to follow, but my words have more than once fallen on deaf ears._

 _I do have to treat my people equally and fairly, so she does get about as many difficult jobs as the ace team does... but where I can, I try and limit them. I'm not prorated to trust her with the biggest jobs in our mission. Not until she's matured a little bit. And as far as she going right now, that may never happen for what I know. Which is a shame, because her team is great. I can't say enough good things about them._

 _Firstly, this team consists of two Landsknechts - Aubatilde, and another woman named Fechaden. Fechaden apparently did some time as a mercenary in a previous life, and as a result, she's got a lot of combat experience under her belt already. She is what Armelas in the ace team isn't - attentive. Keenly aware of her surroundings. Quick-witted. Armelas is good with a sword but forgets her shield exists, Fechaden is good with a sword and has her shield up when the situation calls for it. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever seen her without her shield strapped firmly over her arm. Even when she was applying for her place in the guild, she had that thing on. And she writes left-handed, so the simple act of signing her name on the applicant list nearly rendered me unconscious when her shield came over the table and flew dangerously close to my head. Fechaden is also a kick at the pub when she and her team have the time for it, I've also heard, and there have been days where I've been busy with my own work, when suddenly, there's Fechaden, right next to me, taking half the load for herself and I didn't even an her to, cracking jokes the whole time._

 _Then there's Medileben. In stark contrast to Heilarzt, he's a very laid back, kindly individual. Very relaxed. Knows how to keep his head in tough situations. Knows how armor works... Sorry, that was unduly harsh. Heilarzt did eventually figure the armor issue out after the fifth time he nearly died from a single strike. Anyhow, Medileben has a lot of experience under his belt that even Heilarzt can't claim to know. Which was deeply appreciated by Nachtdol, who - in spite of what he claims was extensive poison detection training - nearly died from food poisoning, of all things, when he ate a rotten egg. Why he did, I don't know, but he did, and I would have had to expend another Nectar to bring him back from perhaps the stupidest death he would ever suffer had Medileben not been on hand with an antidote that Heilarzt didn't even know existed. (Nor did I. As far as I knew, food poisoning was something you just had to suffer through until it passed over or killed you.)_

 _The B-team also has the aid of a Sniper - Jagedolph, who is perhaps one of the biggest jokesters I've had the pleasure of meeting. What makes it such a delight to work with the man is that, like Fechaden, he helps without being asked, and has a genuinely happy disposition, and his jokes don't interfere with the job at hand. Besides that, the man is the best of the best as far as my Snipers go. I've seen him practice in the shooting range provided by the Explorer's Guild Hall for training at home - there has yet to be a target he wasn't able to hit, moving or not. Well, none that I've seen, at least. I'm sure the matter it a bit different out in the field, where I rarely get to go myself due to my duties here in the city._

 _Finally, the team's Runemaster, an elderly gentleman - relatively speaking, of course - by the name of Raurexen. He might look intimidating and cold, but in truth the man is shy above anything else. In speaking with him privately, I've figured out that he's more of a father figure of sorts - some of the things he confided in me made me think I was speaking to my own father back at home. Not an unpleasant memory to evoke, mind. But personality aside, of course, Raurexen could very well rival Nordauber in the field of magic. Nordauber is quick-thinking, but his magic isn't as strong as it could be. Meanwhile, Raurexen is perfectly fine letting others take command, and his magic reportedly hits like a crashing skyship (not an experience I would ever like to live through, by the way)._

 _Truly, if not for Aubatilde's efforts to swindle me into giving her jobs that will directly result in her glory, the B-team could very well usurp the ace team's position._

 _But, "that's the kicker," as I've heard Jagedolph once say - and in one instance, she was particularly bad about it..._

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, 8 AM (Two weeks ago)**

* * *

"Team one is assigned to the Lush Woodlands. Try and chart what you can of the second floor - the red bear's retreat has opened it up significantly to us now, but it's not without danger. You don't know what you're walking into down there," Baldory said before the guild, planning out the day... possibly days ahead, given that team assignments tended to last anywhere from one afternoon to about a week, depending on the circumstances.

"Are you sure we should be going down there with the gear we have now? That red bear could be right around the corner for what we know," Nachtdol said.

"Then you'll just have to be on your toes. Use an Ariadne Thread if you desperately need to get out of there. Just remember, mapping out the Woodlands is vital to the Yggdrasil mission, and the Outland Count is already showing immense generosity in giving us such leeway regarding time, so it's up to us to show him that he's not making a mistake on doing so," Baldory replied.

"Understood," Nachtdol confirmed.

"Team two will be training in the orchard next door to the Woodlands. You've been making good progress, but I don't want to send you in anywhere without being sure that you can handle it," Baldory continued.

"Oh, come on, captain! You know we can handle whatever's in the Woodlands," Medileben spoke up.

"But do I really?" Baldory countered. "Do I even know if team one will be able to chart any part of the second floor without getting mauled by that red bear? Sure, I've entrusted them with the task, but I also went with them on our very first mission and saw firsthand how easy is could bee to die out there. I'm not going to take a chance that doesn't need to be taken. You have your orders."

"Alright, understood," Medileben conceded.

"Team three will be here, and I'll personally be evaluating your combat proficiency to see where you stand in your training," Baldory said, looking at the significantly less well-armed third group. "Once that's done, you'll trade off equipment maintenance duty with team four, who will stock resources where available when I've finished with them. Team five will transport teams one and two to their designated areas and then bring the _Sedassis_ back for maintenance duty. Once I'm done with teams three and four, I'll be overseeing the job myself to make sure it gets done. Finally, team six, you're on assistant guard duty with the Tharsis Guard. The Outland Count has expressed to the guild captains that his guard force has had a dip in morale since the red bear incident, and so needs any willing hands to help keep Tharsis safe until such time as the head of the bear is presented before the Mark Grand Court."

The respective teams nodded in quiet acceptance of their assignments. Team five grudgingly so, with a couple of eye rolls, and team three nervously, but there were otherwise no objections.

Baldory took a breath. "That's all. You have your orders. Get to work."

As the guild separated into their six five-man teams, Aubatilde of team two approached Baldory with a map in hand.

"Captain, this is the completed map of the Small Orchard that you requested," Aubatilde said, handing the map over. "It's a relatively peaceful place. A few big deers that can be problematic at times, but they generally don't bother you if you don't bother them."

"Very good. Well done," Baldory replied, taking the map. "Team one is shipping out to the Woodlands, so that'll be a while. I'll get this copied and have it back to you at the dock."

"Also, captain..." Aubatilde said quietly.

Baldory sighed and steeled himself for another go-around. He had a funny feeling that he knew where the conversion was going.

"...Yes, Aubatilde?" Baldory asked.

"You said something any not being sure if we're ready for the Woodlands... don't you think the best way to find out would to be to send us in? Maybe have us chart the third floor, if there is one? After all, word around the guilds is that nobody's ever gone that deep in before," Aubatilde suggested. There was a definite hint-hint motive behind her words.

"You heard what I said. I don't know if you're ready. When you prove to me that you've got the orchard under your belt, then I'll send you to the Valley Springs to test yourselves there. When you get beyond that, then we'll see about sending you through the Woodlands," Baldory replied.

"But what if somebody else opens the way through the canyon by then? What if the Woodlands become obsolete by the time you think we're ready? This could be a good chance for us to keep ahead of the game, and maybe even raise the bar for everybody else!" Aubatilde countered.

"It's just as good a chance for me to find myself burying my guildmates in shallow graves," Baldory said, standing firm.

"But you don't know that for sure," Aubatilde stated.

"Which is exactly why I'm not taking any chances," Baldory fired back.

Aubatilde sighed and chucked lightly. "Weiss," she started, a smug grin coming across her face, "Your family and mine are one in the same. We're both tough. Don't you think it would reflect positively on you to have even the tiniest bit more faith in me? I mean, I'm sure your city would be proud to know that House Baldory is strong enough to still be worth supporting, and also humble enough to put their faith in another noble house to help them move forward with their goal of restoration."

Baldory's eye twitched. Countless times now, he had made or clear to Aubatilde that so far as guild matters were concerned, his name was "Captain Baldory" and nothing else; and just as many times, Aubatilde had displayed her insubordination by using his first name in a business-oriented conversation. To add insult to injury, Aubatilde insisted on using their shared struggle to regain the trust of their people against him in order to further her goals - and supposedly further his, by her claims, but he was fairly certain she was just trying to kiss up.

"I gave my orders," Baldory said through gritted teeth. "Stop wasting my time, and get to work."

Aubatilde's smile dropped, and her eyes rolled. Shaking her head, she walked off to the city gates, muttering under her breath.

Baldory shook his head in turn, silently fuming. Now that he was angry, he feared that he would go too rough on team three and team four during their training and set them back heavily, so he had to take a moment to cool down before he met with them. There was also the matter of the map...

* * *

 **Windy Plains, Small Orchard, 10 AM**

* * *

"Honestly, I don't see what's so bad about him just giving us a more important job every once in a while," Aubatilde grumbled from the back of the group as they trekked through the peaceful orchard, purposely looking for a fight.

"Well, if he's worried that we're not ready, then that's his prerogative. And honestly, so far he's been right with his guesses. Like, remember when he told us we weren't ready for the first floor of the Woodlands, and we pressured him until he gave us the job, and like half the team ended up really badly wounded to the point where we had to pull out?" Medileben said.

"He's not without good cause," Raurexen agreed. "And it is his responsibility to see to our well-being, so it's quite understandable that he would be rather hesitant to put us up to a task that he doesn't feel comfortable about. It's more than just his name at stake - you heard him. There's a very good chance that we could end up dead without a Nectar or well-trained Medic to bring us back, and he could end up having to watch our bodies be lowered into graves. That's not a situation I want to put him in, personally, so if he would rather we go slow, then I see no reason why we should question him."

"Yeah, I've seen a few too many good guys go down to risk being another statistic," Fechaden piped up.

"Wow, you guys are seriously killing the mood right now. Lighten up, already! This whole thing is supposed to be an adventure, and adventures are supposed to be fun, right?" Jagedolph cracked a big grin and winked at the others.

"Well... yeah, I guess. But I have my family back home to think about, too. If things go south, we could risk being exiled by our own people," Aubatilde said. "That's a lot of pressure on me. And I know the captain has a similar problem, so I'm really confused why he's so against us helping push the guild forward."

"Well, I think the captain wants you to take a different approach about it. Maybe he thinks you're going the wrong way about things and is trying to keep you back until you... mature a little bit, I guess," Fechaden suggested.

"My family name is in ruins, and we risk losing what little we still have. How much more mature do I need to be?" Aubatilde asked.

"Sheesh, I tell you to lighten up and you get even more mopey. The things I do to keep people happy, man..." Jagedolph said, chuckling. He did feel for Aubatilde, and understood her stance as well as Baldory's, but all the grim talk was beginning to weigh on him. Past events from before he joined the guild showed him that he tended to under-perform when he was anxious about something, because his focus wouldn't be on where he was aiming and keeping his hands steady.

"Sorry. I don't mean to drag everybody down, it's just... well, it's a lot on my plate, is all," Aubatilde said.

"Eh. Worrying about it doesn't really help all that much. You get to worrying, and then you go and do stupid stuff because you want to try and fix it, and in the end it only makes things worse. My advice? Do what the captain says, and cheer up. That'll keep you on the good road," Jagedolph replied.

"...Yeah, maybe," Aubatilde said.

"On an unrelated note: monsters!" Jagedolph said, all-too-cheerfully.

The rest of the group looked up to see a horde of rodents meandering about a watering hole. Nearby were some Mandrakes, and the occasional frog hopped out of the water, aggravating the rat that was drinking there as it recoiled with a hiss.

"Well. If we want to show the captain we're good for the Woodlands, I suppose these little buggers are as good a place to start as any," Fechaden said, drawing her sword.

Medileben grabbed his staff in both hands. "If nothing else, it's good practice."

"I'm pretty sure it's not how the saying goes, but you gotta bust a few rats to reach Yggdrasil, right?" Jagedolph proclaimed, lifting his bow off his shoulder and grabbing his arrows out of the carrying quiver that was strapped to his belt.

"That... is very much not how the saying goes," Raurexen said, magic runes illuminating about his fingertips.

"Well, whatever the saying is, _jump them!_ " Aubatilde cried.

Fechaden and Aubatilde charged in at the monsters, and Jagedolph fired carefully-aimed arrows at the thick-skinned frogs, hoping to draw their attention to the back where he and Raurexen could work their magic - literally, for Raurexen. Medileben stayed out of the fight mostly, but was prepared to step in if any of the monsters came his way - in stark contrast to Heilarzt, who employed Schiverta as a human shield for him.

Fechaden cut down a rat mid-jump, and get shield arm denied the attempts of another one just in her peripherals. She and Aubatilde moved quickly through the rodents, Aubatilde's piercing sword striking clean through the jumping rats while Fechaden's cutting sword smacked them back to the ground rudely, and in pieces.

In the back, Medileben caught sight of the Mandrakes making their way towards Jagedolph, and, seeing that Raurexen was still dealing with the frogs, decided to take one for the team, and charged the Mandrakes, striking one hard into a group of three with his staff. A volley of arrows from Jagedolph finished them off.

The problem with Mandrakes, and the reason why Medileben stepped in, was that they had a death shriek. That death shriek had a nasty habit of binding the legs, which would make it incredibly difficult for Jagedolph to move, and it was that movement which was his primary strength, apart from his archery.

So, Medileben decided to take the brunt of all four death shrieks himself.

Vines sprouted up from the ground at the Mandrakes' call, and could tightly around Medileben's legs before uprooting themselves from the ground. The intense pressure of four different binds on his legs was excruciating. And what's worse, they began to tingle as numbness set in.

Medileben was well prepared for this, though. He pulled out a small vial from a holster inside his coat, uncorked it, and closed his eyes tightly and held his breath as he dripped a pungent acid in the vines, which quickly burnt them away with snaps and sizzles, freeing his legs from the torture.

The rancid smell of the acid caused Jagedolph to gag, and he was unable to duck out of the way of a rat that slipped by Aubatilde. It latched onto his shooting arm, forcing him to drop his remaining arrows. Jagedolph took his bow and roughly smacked the rat with it, dislodging it from his arm. With a harsh kick, he sent the rat back over to Aubatilde, who stabbed through it and finished it off, then ran over to help Fechaden cut down the number she was dealing with.

Medileben jogged over to Jagedolph and cast a healing spell over his arm.

"Couldn't have warned us about that acid, man?" Jagedolph asked.

"Sorry - I was a bit bound up," Medileben said, a goofy grin showing under his thin beard.

Jagedolph cackled, then grabbed his arrows and fired one quickly past Medileben's head into a frog that was hopping towards him.

Raurexen's eye caught sight of the arrow, and he launched a bolt of lightning at the frog, electrocuting it to death. At that very moment, Aubatilde and Fechaden finished off the last of the rats. The orchard fell silent again.

"Well, that was fun," Fechaden said. "Let's do that about as many more times as it takes until we stuff our bags too full of stuff and the sun goes down, what say everybody else?"

"Can I make some more arrows, first?" Jagedolph asked.

* * *

 **Tharsis, main street, 8 PM**

* * *

Several hours later, the team returned from the orchard for the day, bags filled with materials to be sold to the Berund Atelier. It wouldn't pay out much, but it would keep things stocked for other guilds who needed the items such materials made. That was a considerably better outcome, in truth.

"Right. Now let's head back to the inn - I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm wiped out," Jagedolph said.

"Wait, hold it - is that team five, over there? Why are they in such a hurry? And who's that they're carrying?" Fechaden asked.

The team moved closer to team five's position, and that's when they realized that they were carrying captain Baldory, unconscious, covered in sweat, and deathly pale, between four of them, with the fifth carrying Baldory's hastily removed armor in their arms.

"What happened?!" Aubatilde asked in shock.

"He was swabbing part of the main deck, and then all of a sudden he just fell over and we couldn't wake him up!" One of team five's members exclaimed

"Get out of the way, we need to get him in the clinic, stat!" Another members barked.

"I'll come with you," Medileben said, jogging after team five.

Aubatilde and the others stayed behind, stunned at what they had seen.

"That man," Fechaden huffed, "He'll take himself to the grave if he keeps that up!"

"I don't think I've ever seen the captain like that before... not sure I want to again anytime soon, either," Jagedolph said, his face serious for the first time that day.

"We should go see him. Make sure he's alright," Raurexen decided.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go," Aubatilde said, walking towards the inn.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 9 PM**

* * *

Captain Baldory groaned as he finally began to regain consciousness. All the Medics in the room immediately looked up and rushed to the bed. Medileben lead the line of questioning as he twisted Baldory's head under the light to check his pupil dilation.

"I'm fine, Medileben. I did it to myself. It's not the first time I've worked myself so hard that I've passed out," Baldory said once he was fully awake.

"Uh, yeah, hi, we're the Medics here, and we'll decide how 'fine' you are," Medileben said. "And if you're working so hard that you practically kill yourself every day, then you need to back off, take some time to yourself and rest."

"You make it sound so easy," Baldory muttered.

"Look, you don't have to do everybody's job for them to show us that you're serious about being a good leader. Trust me, we get the picture. I'm pretty sure nobody here would have joined up if we thought you looked like a joke. It's more important that you take care of yourself first, and let us handle the heavier stuff," Medileben said.

"But if I do that, then what message am I sending to the people at home? 'Look at how weak House Baldory has become, that their youngest and most athletic son can't even do proper work without collapsing?'" Baldory asked.

"I think they'd have a far nastier message for the Baldory fool that went and commit suicide by being a massive tryhard," Medileben replied. "You do more than enough for us as it is. All this additional stress is only going to hurt you if you don't reign it in and stop being crazy."

Aubatilde, who had been sitting quietly with the rest of the group, finally couldn't stand it any longer.

"Look, nobody here thinks you're a bad leader. And if anybody in your hometown thinks otherwise, then they're idiots. You've more than proven yourself. And trust me, we've all seen how strong you are - you make it a point to test us against yourself every chance you get. Seeing how weak you are right now, I'm amazed none of us broke you like a twig by accident. I'm amazed you were able to best the majority of us while running on fumes! If it were me, I would be in this clinic all the damn time!" Aubatilde exclaimed.

"Aubatilde-" Baldory started.

"No, you shut up and listen!" Aubatilde snapped. "You came here to make it to Yggdrasil, so that the folks at home would learn to trust your family again. That takes a lot of strength. Trust me, you have it. With you in the captain's seat, I'm more than certain we'll get to Yggdrasil. But you're also not the only one with a reputation on the verge of total collapse at home!"

"Aubatilde, we've been over this before..." Baldory groaned.

"Yeah, I know. I get it, you don't like that I'm always bugging you for the good jobs; you think I'm not mature enough, that I don't know what I'm getting myself into. You're looking out for us, and that's fine. But damn it, there's looking out for us, and then there's babying us! We're here to help you! The reason we call you captain is to follow your orders! It's exactly this kind of crap right here that frustrates _me_ , because I mean it when I say that I'm looking out for your best interests as well as mine, and yet you just refuse to put any faith in mine or my team's abilities-!" Aubatilde ranted.

"It's not your damn abilities that I have an issue with, it's your attitude!" Baldory growled.

Aubatilde was struck silent.

"Yes, you have a name at stake at home, and so do I. And trust me, if you had just come to me and told me that you wanted to take on the bigger jobs because you thought it would help your cause, I would be bending over backwards doing what I can to help. But instead, I had to learn that on my own, and I figured it out in the worst way because you're always badgering me for jobs you think will get you in the limelight, whether you're prepared to handle them or not; and when I try and talk any sense into you, it just goes right out both ears! What's worse, you seem to have this thought in your head that just because we're both nobles, I'm obligated to give you what you want! And when I hold my ground and tell you no, you go and pout about it like some petulant child!" Baldory shouted, his eyes like fire and his face a terrifying snarl.

Aubatilde visibly shrank back to the wall from Baldory's onslaught.

"The reason I call you immature and have so little faith in you is because you give me no reason to act otherwise! Every day, it's like I'm marching an egotistical little girl out into the world, and if you think overworking is stressful, you should be in my shoes when I have to deal with _that!_ You have no... you have... you... have..."

Baldory was suddenly and abruptly cut short. His breathing became dramatically quickened and heavy, and his face blanched white again as a cold sweat broke out across his brow. His right hand grabbed shakily at his chest, and his eyes dilated and shifted wildly, unable to focus on anything. The anger that he wore before was replaced now with fear... and pain. Baldory tried to speak, but could only choke helplessly as he fell back onto the pillow, left hand clutching the bedsheets tightly for some sort of protection. Baldory's anger had, in his weakened state, triggered a massive heart attack.

"Hey, hey, hey, _hey!_ " Medileben cried out as he and the other Medics rushed back to Baldory's aid, the captain thrashing weakly as the Medics hurried to stabilize him.

"Oh no..." Fechaden whimpered, her eyes wide with horror.

Aubatilde couldn't even speak. She had single-handedly brought dire suffering on her own captain. What words could she possibly say? The adrenalin that had been pumping through her veins made her jittery as anxiety took over.

For a torturous ten minutes, the Medics rushed about, shouting commands to one another and medical terms that only they understood. Finally, though, they were able to calm Baldory down and restore him to a more natural breathing pattern. After a tense fine minutes of carefully watching him to see if he backslid, Medileben finally declared Baldory stable.

Baldory looked tiredly to Aubatilde.

"When... when are you going... to figure it out? This damn quest for glory... all it's going to get you is in the same place as me. Maybe... maybe worse," he panted, his words little more than a whisper. "Get it... through your... thick skull. If you ever... want your people to... accept you again... you need to earn it. You can't... just force it... with celebrity intrigue. You have... to work for what you want."

Baldory took a moment to breathe before he continued.

"And until you figure that out... you'll never be ready to handle... the bigger jobs. You'll never earn my trust. You will always be behind... the others. No matter how far you come."

With his last ounce of energy expended, Baldory passed out again, his body limp from exhaustion.

"I think it's best that you all leave. We'll keep tabs on him for the night," Medileben said.

The rest of the group, at a loss of words, departed from the clinic.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 9 AM (present)**

* * *

 _It was, needless to say, a rather stressful week for me then. I was bedridden and force-fed every meal hour by the innkeeper, and the Medics hovered about my like worker bees. There was no moment of privacy for me. They were going to ensure that I rested, even if they had to tie me down and bolt the bed into the floor. Let this be my tale of warning to you: heart attacks are horrific, agonizing things, and if you're as bad a patient as I am, the recovery period is far worse. Do take care not to suffer one yourself if you can so help it, would you?_

 _Anyway, when I recovered to a point where I was able to get back to work, Aubatilde made it a point to come to me personally and apologize to me for her behavior. She was so sincere that I had to wonder what this woman had done with the arrogant Aubatilde I knew. Apparently, seeing what she had inadvertently done to me was enough to put the fear of the gods into her, and it shook her right to the core. Well, that, and some rightly-earned berating from the rest of her team (which I could vaguely hear even while unconscious, it was so loud) probably helped. Goodness knows she needed a good smack across the back of her head._

 _She told me that she would be better about how she acted from then on... but it's been a slow process. Old habits die hard, right? She has made an honest effort not to use our shared struggle against me, but it still slips from time to time. I can forgive that, since at least it isn't every day anymore. She tries to be more grown up about the decisions she makes, however subtle it ends up being, and it's as good a start as any. And I, in turn, have tried to put more of my trust in her when assigning missions - I've even ventured out on a few with her team, as an observer, just to see how well they perform on their own. But I stand by my claim from before: the reason the B-team is considered such is because of Aubatilde. And until the time comes where she completely cleans up her act and I can trust her to the fullest, I don't see this changing anytime soon._

Baldory put down his pen and sighed, staring for a moment at the ceiling. He still had the whole day to kill; perhaps he could write another entry...? Baldory shook his head. One entry per day was enough. It usually tended to make him think long and hard about the people he spoke of within his reports, and two entries at once would likely cause his mind to fail on him. He flipped his notebook shut, stowed it in the desk drawer, and got up, deciding that, as he had free time on his hands, a walk about the town wouldn't hurt. It had been several months since his arrival in Tharsis, and not once in those several months had he thought to better acquaint himself with his erstwhile home; his work had limited him more or less to the main square. Plus, now thinking back on Medileben's words, it would be... nice, to take a day and just relax.

As Baldory left the room, he bumped into Dalla, who seemed to be going about her rounds cleaning the guild suites.

"I thought you'd never leave," Dalla said with a chuckle. "It's hard to clean a room when there's still dirty boots tromping around in it, you know?"

"Quite, Baldory replied with a polite smile, then turned and went downstairs, and out of the building.

Dalla waited until he was gone, then took her chance and went inside, opened the drawer, took out his notebook, and read what he had entered for the day. After fully perusing the entry, she closed the notebook and sat back in the desk chair, stunned.

"Wow. Where was I when that day happened?" Dalla wondered to herself. "Oh, wait, yes, I was in the kitchen making dinner for the other guilds..."

Realizing that it was still morning, and not the dead of night like last time, Dalla placed the notebook back in the desk drawer and got to work cleaning the room. She didn't want to risk any of Bernoryn's members walking in and seeing her going through Baldory's belongings - or, worse yet, Baldory himself seeing her. That would be an awkward discussion, if not one which would end in hurt feelings.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Entry #4 - "The Rookies"**_

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 8 AM**

* * *

"Making me kick my feet up again, are you? Why the sudden insistence?" Baldory asked.

"Medileben is still concerned for your health after that incident. You can understand if he's somewhat paranoid about you working too hard," Dalla replied.

"See, but this is two days now where I've not done anything. If anything, I feel like I'm not working hard enough," Baldory said.

Dalla laughed. "Oh please, so you've gotten some of your color back, and now you think you're being lazy? Do you not hear how silly that sounds?"

Baldory considered his statement for a moment, then scratched his head awkwardly. "Perhaps... Perhaps it is a bit ridiculous of me," he admitted.

"See? Now go on, take a load off. Your guild will be fine on their own," Dalla said.

"That's debatable, at least for some of them," Baldory grunted, speaking specifically of team five. "But, if you insist. Goodness knows I don't need another heart attack anytime soon."

"Well, I do insist. Now, you just relax. Crack a window, enjoy the breeze - do whatever it is you do that doesn't involve work, okay?" Dalla suggested, then left the room.

"...That would be far easier to accomplish if I ever did anything that didn't involve work," Baldory realized with a chuckle. "Well, if nothing else, writing takes about the least toll on me, so I may as well get another entry done in my report while I'm still thinking about it."

Baldory walked over to the desk and pulled out his notebook - but noticed something was off about it. It almost seemed as though there were finger indentations on it - they couldn't be his, as he always had it laying flat and only ever touched it when he was opening, closing, retrieving or putting it away, and even then, that was along the spine, not the cover.

"...Well, perhaps I wasn't as gentle with it last time," Baldory thought, not one to dwell on conspiracies. He flipped the notebook open and started writing.

* * *

 _Guild Captain's Evaluation, Entry 4/15: "The Rookies"_

 _As with how a guild can't function on only one good squad, it also doesn't feel like a guild, at least in my mind, if there aren't young recruits trying to learn the ropes of the organization. In my case, I have two of such groups. One is lazy beyond all measure (I'll get to their report after this one), and the other is team three._

 _Team three, to put a word to it, is adorable. It's not that I don't take them seriously as members of my guild - believe me, if that were the case, I'd have cut them a long time ago - it's just that, compared to the rest of the guild, they comprise the youngest, most awkward and least experienced team. It's not to say they don't have experience, mind, but it certainly can't hold a candle to the powerhouse levels of teams one and two, nor my own._

 _Team three is where I legitimately feel as though I'm leading a guild. With team one, they can basically take care of themselves, fools though they may be, and Aubatilde is frustrating to deal with, but is otherwise the only real detriment of team two. Team four prefers menial tasks to fieldwork, which I respect as their decision because maintenance and resource supply is equally as important; team five... I'll get to them in another report; and team six is more under the command of the Tharsis Guard, because that's where I've stationed them until such time as that damnable red bear who has been staunching our mission's progress is found and dealt with, whether by my guild or somebody else's._

 _Overall, my guild is fairly self-reliant._

 _With team three, I have to be more hands-on. They don't have a clue how things work, and they've expressed that they want to get out in the field eventually, which means I need to train them to be able to handle themselves in an honest-to-goodness fight. I don't mind, honestly - it feels good to have a more direct role in being the captain of my guild, rather than just telling everybody to go do such-and-such tasks while working myself silly here in town just to make sure that I have things to do. It makes me think I'm doing something worthwhile with however much time I have here._

 _I suppose I should just get right into the team roster, shouldn't I? After all, with their being the newest and greenest kids in the guild, there's not much I'm honestly able to say about them, praise or critique._

 _To start with, there's Nixie. She's one of I believe four Dancers in my ranks. She's easily the youngest of them - about as old as Heilarzt, I'd wager. And he's fairly young. Dancers, from what I've heard of them from the Guildmaster at the Hall, are quite able swordsmen, to compliment their wide array of unique dances that seem to have enchanting powers that boost theirs and their allies' abilities. I thought that an interesting fact, so I challenged Nixie to hit me with a dance that would disable me and make me an easier target._

 _The poor girl took two steps, tripped over her own feet and fell right down on her face._

 _I... suppose I might have asked a bit much of her for the first time around._

 _But that aside, what dances she does know, she performs beautifully. And she has great potential with a sword, if only she could figure out not to spend so much time cowering on the defensive instead of taking her openings and going on the offense when the situation is right for it. That'll be something I'll have to practice more with her, as Dancers seem a bit aversive to the idea of wielding shields, and that's problematic for a girl who is already apprehensive of opening her flanks to make an attack, because every second she spends coiled in a tight little ball of nerves instead of moving with the fluidity of her Dancer brethren is another second closer to get struck in the back and cut down._

 _Beyond that, Nixie is quite the gentle heart. Rather shy, like Raurexen, but she cares a lot about the people around her. There was one day not too long ago where she even openly refused to spar against me like usual because she saw me working harder than I admittedly should have been, and she refused to engage because she didn't want to be responsible for putting me back in the clinic again._

 _Nice girl, Nixie. Maybe she'd make a good Medic if her Dancer career ever bottoms out on her. But, that's an if, not a when, so unless something does occur, I'll keep training her as a Dancer as best I can - but let's be honest. I'm a knight. Defense like a Fortress, swordplay like a Landsknecht. How in the world should I know how Dancers work? The best I can do is wing it, and if any of the other Dancers in my guild are around, call on them for assistance. (I even had other guilds' Dancers that were available lend a hand, as well as that lady Wiglaf, during a moment where she happened to be in town rather than out exploring like she usually is. We mutually agreed to call it repayment for a favor that my guild had done her some time ago. On a somewhat related note, thank goodness the other guilds here in Tharsis are so willing to help each other out... and that I've earned my place in their number enough to warrant such kindness.)_

 _Then there's Richter. He's another Landsknecht of mine. He's quiet, but not in the emotionless way that Nordauber exudes. It's more in the way that, well, he doesn't know what to talk about a lot of the time, and so simply chooses not to. I understand that well; one of my older brothers, Drud, had a similar issue. You'd rarely hear him at the dinner table because he never had much input regarding the topics of discussion._

 _Richter is like Aubatilde: he prefers piercing blades to cutting blades. He confided in me, privately, that this is because he looks up to Aubatilde as a kind of older sister - understandable, because she really is a well-meaning soul when she isn't exploiting her status against me to get better work - and so decided that he wanted to be a swordsman like her. Thus, he took up fencing shortly after he joined. You can tell that he's still trying to get used to piercing blades after having been accustomed to slashing blades, because he often forgets what sword he's wielding during our sparring matches and tries to slash at me with the dull edge of his foil rather than stab at me with its point. I feel like if I can train him to be able to use both, it'll be a benefit in the end, so I've been holding him to a piercing/slashing regimen, confused though he is by it. Hey, you never can tell when you'll need to use one because you lost the other, right?_

 _Next, we have Winifreda. As far as Medics go, she's got about the basics down, and that's it. My rudimentary knowledge of field medicine can only take her so far, so I intend to have her set up with a Medileben or one of my other more veteran Medics for that part of her training. She can use staves, which I've had reasonable training in myself (the Order I belonged to was big on multiple proficiencies. I could very easily pick up a quarterstaff and adjust my style to fit the new weapon if ever I lost my sword), so I can at least help her with that much._

 _Winifreda... the best term I can think of for her personality is "bookworm." I have yet to see her without her eyes being downcast at some novel, unless she's in the middle of training and is paying attention to what I'm saying. I don't know what she sounds like, because I've never heard her talk. But she must surely have a voice, because I'm well aware that Medics have to speak out loud in order to use their healing incantations. It's been somewhat frustrating for me, trying to get to her level, because I can't seem to say anything that triggers an emotional response from her - especially when she's reading. I'd almost say that Nordauber gets his emotionlessness from her, quite honestly. I mean, before my time as a knight, I was a bookworm myself, but not to the degree that Winifreda is._

 _Then we have Adsejag, whose name at first glance looks to be little more than a jumble of letters. I asked her what her name meant - apparently, it's some kind of portmanteau between a name which means "eagle," and another which means "huntress." For future reference, her name is pronounced "Ahd-seh-yahg," not "Ahd-see-jag," which is a mistake she will only ever let you make once. She is quite sensitive about how her name is pronounced. I accidentally read her name wrong during the recruitment process, and she became so vehement that her screaming brought silent pause to the entire Guild Hall._

 _Adsejag is another Sniper, although you almost couldn't tell it by looking at her. To be honest, she barely even knows which way to hold an arrow. It evokes memories in my mind of an old squadmate from my unit by the name of Milo. The boy eventually became our best archer, and indeed one of the best in the Order, but not before he spent an unforgivable amount of time bumbling about, snapping his wrist with the bowstring, dropping his arrows on the ground, and dancing about like a buffoon whenever anybody returned fire on him. Though Milo is a very close friend of mine, I don't want my guild to be anything like he was before he finally buckled down and became good at his job, so I'll have to work long and hard to get Adsejag up to snuff._

 _I know I said she was sensitive about her name, but that's about as angry as Adsejag ever gets. My friend Milo used to be painfully awkward, stammering and sputtering on every word; and he was so jumpy that anybody who spoke to him startled him, even if he knew they were there. I wonder if he's related to Adsejag, because I kid you not, she is the exact same way. It's almost amusing when it isn't sad._

 _On an slightly related side note, I received word the other day that Milo was visiting Tharsis. I wonder if he knows I'm here? And if so, I wonder if I could wrangle him into helping me train Adsejag properly?_

 _Finally, we come to the Runemaster of the group: Reluestis. He's another odd name, and when I asked him what it meant, he said he had about as much of an idea as I did. Perhaps he's another individual not from around here? Who knows?_

 _Reluestis seems to break the mold regarding the usual reserved, quiet nature of Runemasters. He's quite expressive, and open as well. He's a very gentle-natured individual, and part of me has to wonder if he maybe did time as a Medic before he was a Runemaster. He's a man of many colors, and he's not afraid to show his emotions, even if it risks making him look weak to his fellow guildmates. At one point, Reluestis received unfortunate news from home about his brother's passing from an illness, and he broke down in tears right in front of everybody. It didn't take long for some of the others to start cracking mean-spirited jokes at his expense, and it took me even less time to put an end to those jokes._

 _As far as his abilities go, he's got a fairly long road ahead of him... one which, I'm afraid, I can't really help him along. I've no mind for magic. What few incantations I know, I rarely use because my powers are so weak that they have very little effect on anything. Plus, because I'm so determined to work myself into a grave, using those incantations might hurt me worse. So, Reluestis has to ask another Runemaster for help with his magic. But, at the very least, I can help him with the physical combat aspects of it - he uses staves as well, thank goodness._

 _So you can probably guess that I have my word cut out for me with these kids. And I meant it when I said I didn't mind, but that doesn't mean I won't struggle. And when I say struggle, I mean that I have to wing it all the time. There was one incident where I had called upon the assistance of another guild captain, Avis Vartreis of Guild Norimae, which really showcases the uphill battle I'm facing. It was also a rather... unique day, because I had suddenly found myself playing host to some unexpected visitors..._

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, Training Room, 10 AM (four days ago)**

* * *

"Keep your shield up, Richter; it's there to protect you, not make a fashion statement," Baldory reminded the young Landsknecht, after he had taken a shot to the gut from Reluestis' staff.

Richter grunted breathlessly as he put his shield up in front of him... and then fell to his knees, gasping.

"Reluestis, maybe try to measure your hits so that you don't knock the wind out of your sparring opponents?" Baldory suggested as he stood from the nearby bench and walked over to the fallen Landsknecht.

"Sorry, Richter," Reluestis muttered, scratching his brown hair awkwardly.

"Richter, are you alright?" Baldory asked, patting Richter on the back.

"Give... just give me a sec, cap..." Richter gasped.

"Take a seat and catch your breath, Richter," Baldory said, helping Richter to his feet. Then he turned to Reluestis. "You'll be sparring with me now, if that's alright with you."

Reluestis' eyes widened a bit. "Uhh... I... I suppose it's okay, sir," he said nervously.

"Don't worry, it's just for practice. I'm not gonna go out of my way to hurt you," Baldory said reassuringly, as he drew his sword from its sheath.

Captain Avis Vartreis, who had been sitting quietly with his own rookie squad and observing, suddenly spoke up: "Weiss, maybe it would be best if you let me take over instead."

Baldory turned to face the other captain. "I beg your pardon?"

"Look at you, you look like you've been through hell. I don't want you getting hurt," Avis explained.

"I've been in fights which have lasted several hours on end. One sparring match won't be the death of me, captain, I assure you," Baldory replied. Once again, the unhealthy complexion his work ethic had brought upon him betrayed a weakness he didn't wish to convey to others.

"That's not a chance I want to take, Weiss. Maybe you can help your Sniper with her archery again, or something that won't take you to the ground like a sparring match will." The Runemaster captain stood up and grabbed his staff from beside him. "Besides, Reluestis is a Runemaster. He would benefit more from being trained by one of his own."

"Well... I suppose you're right," Baldory conceded, unable to think of a counterpoint.

"Well, then either sit down or focus on one of your other people. I'll handle things here," Avis said.

Baldory sighed and pointed to Nixie. "On your feet, let's try and practice your form some more."

Nixie jumped to her feet and jogged over to the weapon rack to grab a sword. For the sake of safe practice, all the sharp weapons were dull, and blunt weapons were covered with soft, thick fabric. The odds of cutting someone or breaking bones by accident was slim.

Baldory had suspected Nixie would take one of the curved blades, which seemed to work best with a Dancer's flowing, often spinning style, but was surprised to see her choose a falchion instead. While the falchions of Baldory's home were designed with an ever-so-slight curve to the blade, the one Nixie grabbed was a straight-bladed model that started slim from the hilt guard and gradually widened out into a large blade that only curved at the tip. It looked more like an oversized machete than a falchion, in Baldory's mind.

"Falchion today, is it? You know, those blades tend to be heavy near the front, are you sure that won't throw you off?" Baldory asked.

"Uh... I don't think so?" Nixie replied uncertainly.

"Now's your chance to pick another sword," Baldory offered.

"I-I think I'll be okay," Nixie said.

With a shrug, Baldory hefted his shield.

"Weiss, I really don't think you should be straining yourself," Avis called, pausing his match with Reluestis.

"My strength is with the blade and shield. I'll be fine," Baldory replied, his mood starting to turn sour. While he did appreciate that Avis had it in him to worry for his health, Baldory was beginning to find it grating that the other captain was trying to coddle him.

"Weiss, you look like you could collapse at any second! You really should just take a break, I can-" Avis objected.

"Oh, let him be. If that's the same little brother I know, he's too much of a workaholic to listen to you anyhow," a new voice said.

Both guild captains, as well as the rookie Bernoryn and Norimae members, turned to face the person behind the voice.

Baldory's eyes widened in shock. There, standing before him, were all of his siblings - his older brothers, Schwartz, Benut and Drud; and his older, and only sister, Hilda. Where his brothers were all in armor very similar to his own and had traveled only in each other's company because of their shared knighthood, Hilda was in her favored public attire and was flanked by servants and retainers for her protection. All four of them carried an authoritative air, and even in spite of some obvious injuries - Schwartz bore a scar across his face, Benut was marked on one cheek, and Drud had lost his left eye - they all radiated the sort of grace befitting their noble status.

"Wh-?!" Baldory stammered.

"Weiss!" Hilda cried out joyfully, as she ran to her brother and embraced him in a warm hug. Her servants and retainers followed her closely, casting wary glances at the other non-Baldory faces in the room.

"What- what are you all doing here?" Weiss asked, still in shock.

"What, we're not allowed to visit our brother when the mood takes us?" Benut asked back.

"If you're all here, then the only ones keeping things under wraps at home are father and mother!" Weiss exclaimed in horror.

"Oh, relax, Weiss. We made sure to see those issues dealt with before we came here," Drud sighed.

"We each appointed our seconds to stand in for us until our return, and we intend to stay no longer than three days, to account for resupplying on the trip back," Schwartz said. It was as though he was reporting to a commanding officer.

"We also made sure to get permission before we acted. With the situation back at home, being careless wouldn't do any of us any good," Hilda added, releasing Weiss and stepping back behind the protective barrier of her retainers' shields.

"I didn't realize the captain had siblings," Nixie remarked to her teammates.

"I do; four, in fact. And they're all standing right here," Weiss said.

Weiss then turned his attention directly at Hilda's retainers, who unflinchingly returned his gaze, as if expecting him to issue an order.

"There's no threat to my sister here. Stand down," Weiss commanded.

As if like clockwork, Weiss' words were met with a change in stance. Shields were lowered away from Hilda's face, halberds were laid casually over shoulders, swords were returned to sheaths, and the once rigid knights shifted about as they allowed themselves to relax... somewhat.

Weiss' rookies behind him whispered amongst themselves in awe.

"Did you see that? Those knights looked like they could've eaten him alive!" Richter remarked quietly.

"Yeah, but they answered his orders like they were part of our guild! I thought he said that this was his first time commanding anybody?" Adsejag wondered curiously.

"Just so you all know, I can still hear you. Commanding a guild and commanding retainers are two very different things," Weiss called behind him, silencing his rookies on the spot. Well, except one, who was so engrossed in her book that she appeared not to hear anybody.

"Well. This is certainly a surprise. I wasn't aware you were a nobleman, Weiss," Avis remarked.

"It's not something I choose to make public knowledge. I'm here to do a job, not be a celebrity," Weiss replied.

"Quite. Especially since our name isn't very well liked at the moment," Benut remarked. "So, Weiss, we saw a strange, flying ship at the docks with the most peculiar name engraved upon it - Sedassis, I believe it was? Am I correct in assuming that belongs to you?"

"Yes," Weiss replied. "And just so you know, Skyships are a hot commodity here in Tharsis. Every registered guild has one. Including Bernoryn, as you might have guessed."

Hilda laughed. "Sedassis and Bernoryn? Aw, so you have been missing home!"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but is there something about those two names that I'm not recognizing, here?" Avis asked.

"Bernoryn was the name of a great man I knew, who dreamed of being an adventurer. He passed on before he could live out his dream, so I named the guild in his honor. Sedassis is the name of the Baldory summer residence on the Elthesian coast, and given how much of our time is spent aboard the skyship, I felt it appropriate to consider it a tertiary home away from home - preceded of course by Tharsis, and Tharsis by, well, the Sedassis manor," Weiss explained.

Avis nodded in understanding.

"Milord," one of Hilda's maids suddenly spoke up, lifting her head so that the light caught her face under her hood, "Are you unwell? You seem as though you've come down with something."

"Yes, now that she mentions it, you really do look like you're about dead, Weiss," Benut said.

"Those bags under your eyes, and you're so pale, not to mention that your body is trembling under your armor... you've been overworking again, haven't you?" Hilda asked.

"I've been doing what was asked of me," Weiss replied.

"So the answer to that is yes, then," Schwartz said bluntly. "Typical. If you don't have your face stuffed in some dusty old book, you're driving yourself to insanity working. It's like you never left home."

"Milord, shall I call for a medic?" Another of Hilda's maids stepped forward respectfully.

"That's not necessary, my guild is supplied with our own medics," Weiss sighed. "Can we continue this later? My day is packed, and I'm in the middle of trying to train my recruits."

"You, training recruits? In your condition? I don't think so. Not without some help, at least," Schwartz said sternly. "Besides, I've a mind that at least one of these mages is yours, and it's no secret to us that your proficiency with magic is... lacking."

"Runemasters," Weiss said.

"Pardon?" Schwartz asked.

"They're called Runemasters here," Weiss said again. "Unlike the mages of our homeland, Runemasters specialize solely in runic incantations. Hence the name."

"Well, then that makes this a great deal easier for me," Schwartz said. "Now then, which of you belongs under my brother's command?"

"That... would be me, uh, sir," Reluestis said nervously.

"The rest are mine. My name is Captain Avis Vartreis, of guild Norimae," Avis spoke up. "Weiss asked that I help him train his Runemaster due to his arcane ineptitude. His words, not mine."

"Arcane ineptitude? Rather harsh to say about yourself, isn't it?" Hilda asked.

"I conjure a candle's flame and have to lie down. I could stand to be more harsh," Weiss replied.

"It's a bit more than a candle's flame, but..." Schwartz muttered. Then, he turned his attention to Reluestis. "You there, I'd like to see how proficient you are at your craft. Over here, please."

As Schwartz led Reluestis off to the side, Weiss turned back to Nixie, who had been standing awkwardly with sword in hand: "Blade up. Don't focus on them, focus on me. Take a swing."

Nixie began to sweat, and swallowed hard.

"I have the funniest feeling you won't hurt me," Weiss said.

Nixie's arms began to shake. The smallest whimper escaped her throat.

"We don't have all day, Nixie. There's two other recruits that need to be seen to in your team, and I'd like that to happen before sundown," Weiss said impatiently.

Hilda, taken mildly aback, looked to her equally surprised brothers and whispered, "Well that's an unusual change of pace for him. When did he get so irritable?"

"He must be overworking far more than we realized," Benut surmised.

Nixie nodded hesitantly after a second, then pulled the sword back behind her head and swung down hard, letting out a little yelp.

Without even so much as a blink, Weiss' shield snapped up in front of his face, and Nixie's blow bounced off hard enough to send her to the floor on her backside.

Politely, Weiss' siblings stifled oncoming laughter. They were silenced completely when Weiss turned a disapproving glare on them.

"Nixie? I believe we've had discussions about exaggerated overhead swings?" Weiss reminded the young Dancer.

"U-uh..." Nixie murmured.

"I believe I told you that overhead swings are rarely reliable in an honest fight?" Weiss added. "Well, I suppose we need to get back to practicing, again. The sparring match will have to wait until you're more prepared."

Nixie blushed, and stared at the floor. Then, at Schwartz's sudden shout - "Get down!" - she looked to her left in horror and sprang to her feet, catching Weiss around the waist and shoving him roughly out of the path of an incoming fireball. Hilda, who had been nearby, was dragged roughly aside by the the back of her dress as her retainers and brothers acted in response to the imminent danger.

"...Right then," Schwartz said, lowering a defensive arcane barrier he had put up around himself as Reluestis' fireball flew wildly off-target, "So it seems you need some work with your aim."

"Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't trying to- ...Cap, that's a pretty interesting position you're in right there," Reluestis noted, his fearful tone turning abruptly to one of polite intrigue.

Nixie was laying on top of Weiss, and had only just realized it herself. Her face turned red like a beet as she violently threw herself off of her captain, shrieking all the way as her teammates snickered behind her - again, save for the one whose face was in her book, as she had again failed to notice the activity around her.

"I didn't see you as the type to get so intimate with your recruits, Weiss," Drud chuckled.

"She acted in my defense, and ended up in an unfortunate position as a result. There's no need to take this any further," Weiss replied, standing up.

"There's that lack of a sense of humor I was missing back home," Drud sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Nixie, get your sword. We're going to practice a proper vertical strike," Weiss said.

"Yes sir," Nixie mumbled, shakily grabbing the falchion again. "Are you sure you're alright, though?"

"If being knocked down was enough to put me out of commission, I'd have never survived a day as a knight," Weiss replied. "Now hit me. Don't put your sword behind your head, bring it over your shoulder slightly. You want to have your leading leg - that's whichever leg is on the same side of your body that your sword arm is - start off behind your off-leg, and then as you swing, pivot on your off-leg and firmly place your leading leg forward, then lean on your leading leg, so that you'll have more reach in your arc, and so that you'll have the necessary support to keep from throwing yourself off-balance on your follow through. Like so..."

In demonstration, Weiss lifted his arm only enough so that the edge of the weapon was parallel with his right shoulder blade, the tip pointing somewhere behind his head. His shield right foot was positioned behind his left foot, as he was a right-handed swordsman. This, in turn, placed his shield before him as though he was defending himself from an incoming attack. Weiss swung in a quick and powerful downward arc, the wind whistling off his sword as it cut through; as he swung, he lowered his shield and turned on his left foot, brought his right foot forward, planted firmly, and bent his knees as he leaned forward slightly, finishing the fake attack in a stance that would - were this an actual fight - allow him to quickly step forward and deliver a follow-up attack, or to reverse and get his shield up to ward off a counterattack.

"...Do you understand?" Weiss asked.

"I think so..." Nixie replied.

"Prove it," Weiss commanded, positioning his shield in front of him. This time, it was less that he wanted her to actually attack him than it was that he wanted to be ready in case she stumbled, which she had an unfortunate habit of doing.

Nixie hesitated for a brief moment, thinking through the steps in her head. Then, she slowly took a stance similar to Weiss - obviously with some discrepancies due to her lack of practice - and delivered a swing that was almost as good as his.

Almost.

"And might I ask you what the purpose is of bending over like that? Do you want to throw out your back, madam?" Weiss asked, pointing to Nixie's doubled-over position. She looked as though she was about to perform a dance, rather than preparing for the next logical step in a swordfight.

"Um..." Nixie said, unable to think of a good response.

"If this were dancing, flexibility like that would likely be applauded. In a fight, however, that's just asking to get your spine broken. You want to try and keep your back as straight as possible, because your opponent won't stop and wait for you to get back up. They'll capitalize on whatever opening will sway the fight for them. The only 'rules of conduct' in combat are those you'll find in gentleman's duels. The real world doesn't abide by that nonsense," Weiss explained.

"Yeah, we used to beat up on Weiss all the time, and we didn't let up just because he said to quit," Drud said cheekily.

"Not the best way to back up my point, but I suppose it stands," Weiss said, shaking his head. "Alright, we'll practice this as many times as we need to until you've got a good handle on it, then we'll move on to another one."

Three hours later, Weiss finally stopped Nixie. Schwartz had long since finished with Reluestis, who proved to be a quick study as far as magic went, and the two were sitting down watching with the others.

"Alright, I think you're good to practice on your own," Weiss decided. "Set up a practice dummy and keep going. Meanwhile, I'm going to get back to Richter, now that he's caught his breath again."

Richter and Nixie nodded quietly.

"And since my siblings are all here, not doing anything important with their time, let's set them to work as well. Reluestis, you and Schwartz have had some quality time already, so I'd say let's have you get back with Avis for the time being," Weiss said.

The two Runemasters nodded politely at each other.

"Schwartz is trained in medical magic as well, so Winifreda- ...Winifreda. Winifreda, _put the damn book down and pay attention!_ "

Winifreda, Weiss' rookie Medic who had been engaged in her thick leatherback, jumped at her captain's sharp tone, but didn't seem startled. It was more like she had suddenly remembered that breathing was important. Winifreda looked up at Weiss with eyes that could be described as dead, if she weren't very clearly alive.

"Winifreda, you and my brother Schwartz will focus on your medical training. Avis, can you spare one of your Medics to help out as well?" Weiss asked.

"I have Tiff on standby. She's not busy at the moment. I'll talk to her, see what I can do," Avis replied.

"Thank you, captain. And Adsejag, I'll leave you in the capable hands of my brother Drud. He's not the best archer I know-"

"Hey!" Drud objected.

"-But he's good for the basics, at the very least," Baldory said, ignoring Drud.

Adsejag looked hesitantly at the older Baldory brother, who flashed a friendly grin back at her.

"...But, I don't even know him," Adsejag whispered.

"You hardly even know me, what's the difference?" Weiss retorted. "You night find Drud more helpful than me, at least he's got a sense of humor."

"The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one," Drud teased.

"It's not a problem if I don't think it needs fixing," Weiss replied.

"Oh for crying out loud, will you learn to take a joke?!" Drud said, exasperated.

"Richter, on your feet. Let's get to work," Weiss said, once more ignoring Drud.

"Stop changing the subject!" Drud exclaimed.

"You're awful talkative for once in your life," Hilda remarked, shutting Drud up immediately.

"Need me for anything, chief? I'm just kind of twiddling my thumbs, here," Benut said.

"Well, captain Avis seems to have a Fortress in his number who could stand to benefit from your assistance," Weiss replied. "If you'll have him, captain?"

"Gladly," Avis replied. "Sternick, you're up."

Sternick, a Fortress who was decidedly younger than most of Weiss', got to his feet. "Younger" did not necessarily mean "shorter," however, as he still stood roughly a foot taller than Weiss and his own captain.

"They make them big here in Tharsis, eh? Well, let's see if that does anything for keeping you on your feet," Benut said, standing up. He wasn't exactly short himself; though he was only half a foot taller than Weiss, it still made for an imposing figure. More because he was built like a bull, though. By comparison, Sternick was almost twig-like.

"I'll let you get on with that. Richter, let's practice your thrusts some more - mind you, I said _thrust_ , not slash," Weiss said in clarification.

"Yes sir," Richter said quietly.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, Archery Range, 1 PM**

* * *

"So, you got yourself a bow, and you got yourself some arrows, and you got yourself a target such-and-such feet away. Let's see you shoot, missy," Drud said.

Adsejag blinked. "At... what?"

"...At the target," Drud replied.

"...What target?" Adsejag asked.

"The... the one right in front of you," Drud said, pointing at the aforementioned "target at such-and-such feet."

Adsejag finally turned to where Drud was pointing. "Oh! When did you put that up?"

"It's been there!" Drud said in disbelief. "Good grief, you're not related to my brother's friend Milo, are you? Because he used to be as much of a putz as you are."

"...Which brother?" Adsejag asked.

"The youngest one," Drud replied.

"...But I thought you were the youngest?" Adsejag wondered.

"No! Weiss is the youngest!" Drud exclaimed. "Just... just shoot, okay? Just shoot."

Adsejag nodded, and turned towards the target. She nocked an arrow in her bow, and drew back-

"You're not planning on shooting your foot, are you?" Drud inquired.

"Huh?" Adsejag asked.

"You've still got your bow pointed at the ground," Drud explained.

"Oh! Uh, hang on..." Adsejag adjusted her aim so that her bow was pointing at the target, then released the arrow...

...Which clattered uselessly to the floor.

Drud rubbed his temples and muttered something to himself. "You still have to draw the arrow back before you fire, ma'am."

"I-I knew that, y-yeah," Adsejag stammered, turning red as she picked up her fallen arrow. Then, trembling, she tried to fire again, only for her shot to go up to the ceiling, skip off and plummet straight down towards the Guildmaster, who was on his rounds with the captains.

"Watch out!" Drud called out.

The Guildmaster looked at Drud, and then jumped back as the wayward projectile smashed into the ground at his feet.

" _Adsejag!_ " Weiss bellowed from across the way, having witnessed the incident.

"S-sorry!" Adsejag squeaked.

The Guildmaster, evidently having dealt with such incidents before, merely shook his head and carried on his way.

"Good grief, kid, you'll be the death of somebody like this," Drud muttered. "How about you try breathing before you go firing your next shot, huh?"

"O-okay," Adsejag said, breathing quickly. Eventually, her breathing slowed, and she decided she was comfortable enough to fire again.

"Bow up," Drud directed.

Adsejag lifted her bow up towards the target.

"Draw back," Drud continued.

Adsejag pulled back on the bowstring.

"Now breathe real deep, then-"

Before Drud could finish, Adsejag's aim suddenly adjusted upwards, and she casually let the arrow fly, as though she had fired a bow for years. The arrow made a slight arc through the air, and struck a dead bullseye in the target.

"...Then, yeah, do that," Drud finished, stunned. "So it's not that you're bad at this archery thing, you just get way too hyped up is all."

"Did I do alright?" Adsejag asked hopefully.

"No, hitting a bullseye is terrible, how dare you. Of course you did alright!" Drud replied, chuckling. "The only issue here is getting you to not freak out over every shot, missy."

Adsejag allowed herself a small grin as Drud ruffled her hair in congratulations.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, Medicinal Practice Room, 1 PM**

* * *

Schwartz, and Tiff when she arrived, had taken Winifreda into a large side room of the Guild Hall, filled with all manner of medical equipment, to see what her knowledge was of healing incantations. In Schwartz's mind, the best way to gauge a Medic was by how well they could handle some of the basic procedures. Unfortunately, he and Tiff were both quickly finding this easier said than done, as Winifreda couldn't be bothered to stop reading long enough to listen to the directions.

"Winifreda," Schwartz sighed, "if you are going to insist on not paying attention, you are going to have to put that book away."

Winifreda didn't respond.

"Here, maybe she just need a jolt," Tiff said, and promptly slapped Winifreda upside the head.

Winifreda looked up and blinked. "Did you say something?"

"I said, put the book away and pay attention," Schwartz said slowly.

Winifreda shrugged quietly, then placed a bookmark in her leatherback and stashed it in her bag.

"See? Told you she just needed a jolt," Tiff said.

"Thank you," Schwartz said. "Now then, how proficient are you with a Cure incantation?"

"It's... the first incantation we learn in the medical trade," Winifreda replied, confused.

"That's correct. But I asked how proficient you are with one. I'm trying to see how strong your healing magic is," Schwartz explained.

"Oh. Well..."

Winifreda hopped off the gurney she was sitting on and took her staff in hand, then stopped.

"Problem?" Tiff asked. "You do know the incantation, don't you? I've got my book handy if you need a reminder." Tiff pulled a small handbook out of her coat's inner pocket as proof.

"...I need an injury, first," Winifreda said.

"Oh yeah, those are kind of important, huh?" Tiff muttered.

Schwartz shrugged. "Fair enough," he said, and to their shock, Winifreda and Tiff watched as he drew a dagger and plunged it without thought right into his abdomen, grimacing as blood leaked from his self-inflicted wound.

"Whoa, whoa!" Tiff exclaimed. "That's taking things a little bit far, isn't it?! It's just a Cure incantation!"

"What are you doing?! I didn't mean a wound like that!" Winifreda exclaimed.

"Ah, so you do have emotions behind that blank-face wall you put up," Schwartz said, voice shaking from the pain, but he otherwise seemed unusually calm for having just impaled himself. "You asked for an injury, and I have provided. Now's your chance to show me what you're made of."

"You're crazy!" Winifreda shouted.

"And you're wasting time," Schwartz replied evenly.

"You do know what could happen if things go wrong, don't you?" Tiff asked fearfully.

"I'm well aware. Now, if we could maybe pick up the pace, please?" Schwartz requested.

Winifreda made to argue back, but suddenly her eyes seemed to light up, and her face contorted into a businesslike glare as she realized that it was time to get to work. Schwartz and Tiff recognized the look well - they had worn it plenty of times, themselves.

Winifreda dropped to Schwartz's side, and began whispering words that he was very familiar with. An ethereal light gathered within the palm of her hand, and as she firmly pressed down on his dagger wound, Schwartz winced at the sensation of his body repairing itself. Within a matter of seconds, the wound was almost completely unnoticeable, save for a small scar, barely visible through the thick padding of his jerkin.

"Good. Seems we have stable ground to work on," Schwartz said, as though he had never been injured in the first place.

Tiff blinked in disbelief. "You know, most people pass out after having a stab wound healed. Or at the very least say 'thank you.'"

"I'm helping her become better at her job. That's thanks enough, I feel," Schwartz said.

"What is wrong with you? What human being mutilates themselves and acts like it's nothing?!" Winifreda demanded, her face turning white.

"I have been trained as a medic, myself, and I have received many a stabbing in my career. Had you not been successful with your incantation, I would have been perfectly able to fix myself up. That's if Tiff didn't jump in first, and she looks to be rather proficient, herself. Thankfully, for the sake of this test, that wasn't necessary," Schwartz explained simply. "Now then, shall we continue?"

Tiff shook her head in amazement, and Winifreda suddenly found herself feeling ill.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, Fortress Training Course, 2 PM**

* * *

"They make specialized courses for you guys?" Benut asked, looking around. "Back when I was in basic training, I just stood there and got hit really hard to see how sturdy I was."

"Fortresses are meant to be more mobile than a standard heavy knight," Sternick explained. "Our armor isn't as heavy, and our shields can be held in multiple positions. We could be as flexible as a Landsknecht if we tried."

"But are you?" Benut asked.

"...Admittedly, most of us are of the mind that we iare/i just regular heavy knights," Sternick replied.

"Yep, thought so. Well, since this training course is here, why don't we have ourselves a little challenge?" Benut offered. "Elthesian knights are made to be sturdy and flexible, like you claim Fortresses could be if you put your minds to it. Your shield, my shield, this training course; let's see what kind of potential you Fortresses have."

Sternick looked uncertain at first, glancing at his squadmates for help (Captain Avis had informed them that Runemaster training was a private affair, and so they had decided to watch Sternick work). They could only shrug at the suggestion. Eventually, though, Sternick came around to the idea on his own.

"Alright, we'll do that. But it's an awful long course to carry a shield SK the way through..." the Fortress glared at the course.

Specifically, the Fortress training course was a long sprint through sand and mud, followed by a climbing wall that led down into waist-deep water. There were pressure pads in the floor that triggered crossbows all around the course, thoroughly testing a Fortress' reflexes as well as their mobility. And at the far end were training dummies, also surrounded by pressure pads that triggered traps, to see what kind of combat ability a Fortress could muster.

"It looks like it only covers physical damage," Benut noted. "Is there some kind of special training for magic?"

"We usually have Runemasters shoot at us for that," Sternick replied.

"Well, since your captain is busy elsewhere, we'll just be working on the physical stuff today," Benut said. "Now then, this isn't a race, so don't worry about who's winning. This is just a comparison to see where your strengths lie and what needs work, got it?"

"Got it," Sternick replied.

"Alright. Go!"

Sternick and Benut both hefted their shields - Sternick took his shield by the central handle and one of the side bars, positioning it like a large blade beside him to give the least wind resistance as he ran, whereas Benut slid his arm through the forearm straps on his, leaving both his hands free while still allowing him to carry his shield efficiently. The two took off as soon as this was done and ran into the first obstacle: the sand pit.

Benut felt the strain immediately as he sank to his ankles in the sand. Each step suddenly became much more exaggerated as he stepped wide to cover as much ground as he could without trying to run. Beside him, Sternick was using his shield as a brace each time he tripped, as his feet slipped and sank in the sand with every slight movement. Both men had to duck or block arrows fired from the nearby crossbow traps as they stepped on the pressure pads, only knowing they had when they felt them depress under their feet, making the trek even slower and more harrowing.

The two were just beginning to wish that the sand pit was shallower when they came out and landed up to their knees in the mud pit - Benut landing immediately on a pressure pad and having to quickly block an incoming cannonball launched from a small slingshot trap. He stumbled upon impact, but managed to maintain his balance.

 _At least it wasn't a cannon,_ Benut thought gratefully.

Quickly, Sternick and Benut raised their shields away from the mud as they forged on. If moving through sand was tricky, moving through mud was like having weights strapped to their thighs - and in the case of Sternick, he already had weights strapped to his waist as part of the standard Fortress uniform, to help keep their feet planted in a fight. Each step felt close to breaking something, and the impact of their feet on the ground below them was powerful enough to crush a man's skull, just so they could stay upright. It certainly didn't help that there were iron balls flying mere inches from their heads whenever they stepped on a hidden pressure pad.

"Think they may want to tone down this particular trap? Someone's apt to get killed if they don't see it coming!" Benut exclaimed over the loud metallic clang of iron connecting with Sternick's shield.

"Tell it to the Guildmaster, he's the madman who came up with this course," Sternick grunted in reply.

The two finally struggled to the bank and stepped out of the mud pit, moving on to the climbing wall. Thankfully, it was sloped so as to allow them an easier climb - not so thankfully, it was still roughly thirty degrees.

"Oh spare me, this looks so much more difficult now that I'm here," Benut gasped.

"I know how you feel," Sternick sympathized.

Benut slid his shield onto his back, using the arm belts as shoulder straps, thereby allowing him to climb quickly with both hands. Sternick, conversely, took his shield by one of the grips closest to the point and slung it over his shoulder, climbing much more slowly with one hand. For both men, the weight of their armor and shields made the climb all the more stressful, regardless of their methods, and Benut only managed to outpace Sternick slightly. They were both still roughly neck and neck when they reached the summit of the wall, which overlooked an equally steep slide down a gravel path into the waist deep water. Benut could see the traps lined up, assumedly just in after the pressure pads in the water, based on the angle. These ones appeared to fire flaming arrows.

"Lovely," he muttered.

The two proceeded to slide as slowly down the gravel as they could, and the second they got the water, both hefted their shields over their heads -

\- Only to immediately have to lower them again when Sternick hit the first pressure pad.

Thankfully, though the flaming arrows impacted much harder than the regular arrows from earlier - they were wrapped in heavy, oil-coated padding that added more weight to the arrow, this requiring a more powerful calibration of the crossbow - they were immediately extinguished upon hitting the water, making the trek somewhat less of a struggle, as each water trench was a straight channel. So long as the two kept their shields in front of them, and out of the water, they were able to make it through relatively quickly.

Upon climbing out of the water trench, both men found themselves under fire immediately as the crossbows at the end fired ceaselessly at them. The weight from the water soaked through their undergarments made moving quickly extremely strenuous, and with the addition of having to strike at prescribe dummies along the way with their preferred weapons, both men suddenly realized that they wished to go back in the water channels.

Finally, after fighting their way through all of that, both men finally reached the end of the course. Sternick dropped immediately to all fours from exhaustion.

"Well... whatever areas you're weak in, you're probably not anymore," Benut panted.

"No, I'm probably even worse now," Sternick gasped.

Benut laughed as best he could with no air in his lungs.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall, Training Room, 2 PM**

* * *

"Richter, for goodness' sake, your weapon is a rapier. Rapiers are piercing weapons. Why are you still trying to slash at me with it?" Weiss asked, grabbing Richter's wrist mid-swing.

"Oh, uh... Sorry, captain, I forgot," Richter replied, blinking at his sword as though he had only just realized he was holding it.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just keep Aubatilde behind to help you with piercing weaponry," Weiss mused, releasing his rookie Landsknecht. "I mean, she specializes in those almost exclusively, so it would definitely be good practice."

Hilda, who was sitting nearby and having a pleasant conversation with Nixie and Adsejag, suddenly perked up. "Aubatilde? Why do I feel like I recognize that name?"

"You know her from somewhere?" Weiss asked.

"I think so. Can't really think of where, though," Hilda replied uncertainly.

"Could be that you're thinking of someone else," Drud said. He had decided that his training was done early due to how skilled Adsejag actually was when she was calm, and had sat in to watch Weiss train with Richter.

"You know, I might be, honestly," Hilda agreed.

Nixie sat quietly next to her, and Hilda had been braiding her hair and making small talk while the others went about their business, as she wasn't able to train Nixie in anything, herself. If it were a matter of being a lady, Hilda would have her prim and proper in a heartbeat, but combat proficiency was an area in which she found herself lacking. When Hilda went to rerurn to her braiding work, Nixie suddenly had something to say:

"I thought Aubatilde mentioned going to some school...?"

Hilda paused. "Well, I also took classes at a rather unique school, now that I think about it," she recalled.

"Oh, you mean that school for noble ladies-in-training, our whatever it was called?" Drud asked.

"I believe it was a six-through-seventeen school, unless I'm mistaken," Weiss added, swiftly ducking back from an incoming jab by Richter.

"Those kinds of schools exist? I thought nobles were just born like that," Richter remarked, jabbing forward again at Weiss, whose shield repelled the attack effortlessly.

"Nah, bud, we have responsibilities to think about. Not all nobles just sit around swimming in their money, you know," Drud explained. "Especially not us. We have an entire city to govern... well, when they don't hate our existence."

"Governing Elthesia has been truly a struggle as of late," Hilda sighed.

"That's why I'm here, in case I hadn't mentioned it once before," Weiss said, sidestepping another jab, "My mission is to try and reach Yggdrasil. If a Baldory can write the pages of history itself, maybe that might put us back in good standing at home. To that end, I'm training you all to help me potentially reach that goal, and that's why I'm so harsh about it."

"I never said anything about you being harsh, sir," Richter said.

"I can tell that you're all thinking it, though," Weiss replied.

"And that's not even factoring in how big a workaholic he is normally," Drud added. "Back home, if he isn't hiding in some dark corner of the library reading, he's down on his knees scrubbing floors with the maids. And when he became a knight, he made sure to let his commanding officers know that his nobility was not to factor into his service. Although I kind of doubt that was an issue for the Lieutenant anyhow, guy whooped all our asses in basic training."

"The Lieutenant is certainly his own force of nature," Weiss agreed, bringing his sword up and slapping an incoming strike away with the flat of it. "I've always found it ironic that I ended up in his unit. Me, the one who barely ever rests, in the same unit as a man who doesn't hardlyilet/i anybody rest?"

"I know! You'd think that Schwartz would have gotten that punishment," Drud laughed.

"I'd hardly call it a punishment," Weiss remarked. "Apart from the Commander himself, the Lieutenant was perhaps the best teacher I've ever been trained under. Were that I could follow his example."

"Uh, if it means anything to you... I think you're a great teacher," Nixie said quietly.

"Thank you, Nixie," Weiss replied, "But you need not flatter me to make me feel better. I'm no fool, there's plenty that I can't teach because I simply don't know it myself."

"The best teachers are the ones who are still, in some way, students themselves," Schwartz said, returning to the group with Winifreda in tow. "I wouldn't be a good teacher because I feel as though I know more than I need to learn. You recognize that you are the opposite."

"And Drud wouldn't be a good teacher because he is still too much of a student," Hilda added.

"Yep. Hell, Adsejag didn't hardly learn anything from me, what's that tell you about my teaching skills?" Drud asked.

"And I assume Benut wouldn't be a good teacher because he forgets what he's supposed to be teaching?" Weiss asked.

"Hey, I heard that!" Benut called across the way as he and Sternick's squad wandered over.

"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true," Weiss called back.

"...Is Reluestis still training?" Adsejag asked.

"Assumedly. I don't know what Avis is doing with him, but-" Weiss said.

"Actually, we've just finished up," Avis said, returning to the group with a very tired Reluestis in tow. "And I think you should call it here for your rookies' training today. This one's not on any condition to continue right now."

"Well, then I suppose it's time to pack it in," Weiss said, ending his sparring match with Richter and helping to clean up.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Dancing Peacock, 3 PM**

* * *

As a reward for their hard work, and as an opportunity to catch up with his siblings, Weiss decided to treat his rookies to a round at the Dancing Peacock, Tharsis' local bar and quest depot. Along the way, the group had bumped into Squad One, and they joined in the merriment.

The Baldory children, however, were disinterested in the festivities.

"I've been trying to send word of my progress when possible. Have my letters been reaching home?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, but grandfather is concerned about the infrequency of your reports," Hilda replied. "Part of the reason we were allowed to come here was to ask you in person what's taking so long."

"If any of you knew the dangers we face every time we venture out, you'd understand," Weiss explained. "The monsters here in Tharsis are of a more dangerous caliber than the creatures of Elthesia. If I were to try and brute force my way through, I'd cost more lives than would be acceptable. Then it wouldn't matter if I reached Yggdrasil or not - I'd be about as bad as Deryck."

"Deryck was an idiot," Drud scoffed. "At least you're taking initiative and trying, he'd have sooner just let the people cast us out as 'recompense' or some trite like that."

Weiss shook his head. It was due to their uncle, Deryck Baldory, and his poor decision-making that the Baldory name was in such dire straits. When war threatened their home, rather than stand up as a leader and raise an army to meet them bravely, he instead feared reproach by asking the Elthesian people to fight and die upon their own soil, and so turned instead to disloyal mercenaries, who won the war in the Baldory family's favor, yes, but then turned and promptly waged their own in a bid for control of Elthesia, nearly succeeding in tearing the Baldory rule apart. That was what had lost them the trust of their people; and it was why Weiss took up the mission to reach Yggdrasil.

"Don't compare yourself to that man. You've far more honor than he does, and in terms of the choices you've made, you're easily twice the leader he would have ever been," Schwartz said. "Deryck never deserved to bear the name Baldory. He disgraced us, perhaps beyond repair. You have done no such thing, and won't."

"And if you ever did, trust me, we'd wring your neck personally," Benut added.

"But, as you have not," Hilda interjected, "Let us focus back on the matter, here: Our family is on the brink, Weiss. I understand, and admire that you wish to proceed safely, but you must find a way to hurry this process along. There's no telling how long we still have before our people rise up against us, and that is a battle we would dearly like to avoid."

"What am I supposed to do? I'm already pushing my people incredibly hard as it is," Weiss explained. "I know that this is making me unwell. You've all said as such, and I certainly feel it. If I try and push too hard, I may end up dead. Or, worse yet, the Outland Count may have me pulled from the mission for the sake of my health, and then my efforts would be for nothing."

"We're not asking you to rip yourself apart, we just need you to try and speed things up even the slightest bit," Schwartz replied calmly. "Whatever works for you, within reason. Or, if you absolutely can't, at least make time to report on more frequently so that we can help you work out next steps more efficiently from home. This is too crucial for you to fail, so whatever we can do to aid you, let us."

"...I don't foresee myself taking a venture into any Labyrinths tomorrow," Weiss said. "Perhaps you could all step in and handle my guild's duties, so that I might have a day to rest and recover some of my energy for when I do set out again, at least to start?"

"Sounds fair enough," Benut decided.

"I agree. In your present state, you need whatever rest you can get," Hilda chimed in.

"We'll let Hilda's maids handle our supplies for our trip back home a day from now," Schwartz declared. "Leave your rookies to us. They're in good hands, and you know that."

"Thank you," Weiss sighed tiredly.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 11 AM**

* * *

 _The next day, I heard from Schwartz that Reluestis couldn't attend training with the rest of Squad Three because whatever Avis had put him through - apparently, Runemaster training is something kept amongst Runemasters, so I'm not allowed to know what goes on - was very physically taxing for him. Schwartz ended up working with Nordauber instead, and Benut with Schiverta, as Squad One was hindered from continuing in the labyrinth due to the monsters being too strong, meaning they needed more training. According to what Heilarzt told me later the next day, when my siblings departed home to Elthesia, Schiverta proved to be quite the intimidating presence for Benut - not an easy thing to pull off with him, the man is practically fearless towards most things. Heilarzt also informed me that he was fairly certain Winifreda would never work with him again, as he had apparently managed to reduce her to tears during his attempts to teach her a Revival incantation. He seemed pretty apologetic about it. I guess Heilarzt has a soft spot for his fellow Medics?_

 _Richter ended up sparring with Armelas, and according to Hilda, it was a mess. They apparently kept tripping and tumbling all over each other, which while I'm sure was hysterical for the audience that observed it, is decidedly not a good sign for my teaching, because that means that I need to work more with my Landsknechts than I have been. Especially where balance is concerned._

 _Adsejag and Nixie tried to double-team Nachtdol... and if their presence in the clinic is any indicator, it went poorly for them. But fantastically for Nachtdol, says Drud. I'm fairly certain I didn't need to be told, but good that I was anyhow. It means I can hold off on his training momentarily, which gives me more time with my Landsknechts. Maybe I can work my Fortresses in there, too..._

 _Also... regarding the conversions that transpired between myself and my siblings, about the problems House Baldory faces at home... I would ask that you pay those no mind. I'm well aware of how kind and outgoing you are, and I don't doubt for one second that you would gladly jump in, full-force if asked; but I'm not asking. The situation at home is not a matter I'm comfortable having outside influences trying to assist me with. It happened to my family, because of my family, and so I think it only fair that my family be the ones to fix it. I also implore you not to concern yourself with my health. I'm surrounded by perhaps the best medics I've ever met, and as the saying goes between my siblings and I, "Nobody stops the Baldory children." I'll muscle my way through it, come hell or high water._

 _Now then, I believe that this is the longest entry I've written so far, so I feel that a break for my poor wrist is in order. I can't very well continue my report with my writing hand out of commission, now can I?_

Baldory flipped the notebook shut and rotated his wrist sorely. He had never written so much at one time before, and his arm was cramping up from the exertion. It was still relatively early in the day, however, and he hoped to write another entry when his hand was back in working order, so he decided that he would take a short walk around the block.

...After dealing with an issue that had been nagging at him.

* * *

Dalla jumped as Baldory knocked on the kitchen door behind her. She had gotten bored waiting for him to finish writing, and so had decided to set to work preparing the night's meal for the guilds.

"Need help with anything in here?" Baldory asked. "It's fine, I have plenty of time."

"Uh, well, that's certainly nice of you to offer, but I'm alright for the moment," Dalla replied with her friendliest smile on display.

"...Then I'll be blunt. I know you've been snooping about in my belongings."

Dalla was taken aback by Baldory's sudden change in demeanor.

"I noticed it not long ago. Earlier this morning, even. I've a bit of an eye for detail, see, and something about the notebook I've been writing my report in felt off. I tried to write it off as nothing, but then I started thinking that there was more to it than that," Baldory explained. "And I happen to be a light sleeper, by the way. I could hear you wandering around in the room after I had finally gone to sleep during one of the previous days. Not to mention that you seemed rather insistent that I stay in yesterday and today, and last time you were right at the door when I came out for a breather. Could your excuse of needing to clean the room have been legitimate? Certainly, but it could also have been a cover for you at the same time. As far as I know, you're also the only one who knows where I stash that notebook. I hate suspecting people, but you can sort of understand why I do now, yes?"

Dalla stuttered for a moment, but finally sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry, dearie," she said. "I tried not to pry, honestly, but I just couldn't help myself. You're becoming a popular name in this city, but you're also looking worse and worse by the day. I just wanted to know what it was that you do as a guild captain, that's all."

Baldory's face relaxed at the sight of Dalla looking so ashamed.

"Listen, Dalla, I have no reason to hide anything from you. I know the report is for the Count's eyes only, but so long as you can agree to keep it a secret from my guild, I suppose I can let you have a look at it as well."

Baldory walked over to Dalla and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Just... ask permission from now on, please? I don't like when people mess around in my things behind my back," Baldory said.

Dalla smiled embarrassedly. "Very well, captain. I'll be sure to ask next time."

"Thank you," Baldory said, a kind smile coming across his face. "Now then, I'll be out for a short while, then I plan on seeing if I can pull another entry. You're free to read what's been written down so far if you wish."

"Oh, I'm busy right now, dearie; besides, it would be more worth it to wait until you've finished the other entry anyhow," Dalla replied.

"Very well. Then I'm off," Baldory said, walking out of the kitchen. He then continued walking out of the inn into the city streets.

"Good grief, the man is scary when he's working," Dalla muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Entry #5 - "The Menial Tasks Squad"**_

* * *

 **Tharsis, Noon (0 PM)**

* * *

Baldory wandered aimlessly about Tharsis, taking in the sights. He had run across a housing district for guilds that he had never realized was there -though they were meant for the guilds who couldn't fit in the inn, which was indeed filled to capacity now with more and more adventures hearing of the Yggdrasil mission - and, shortly following that, he then discovered a civilian housing district.

The homes were quaint, and comfortable in appearance. It reminded him somewhat of the houses back in Elthesia.

Before they were demolished from collateral damage by war, specifically.

Baldory shook the thoughts of home from his head. More and more, all he could think of when he thought "Elthesia" was of the bad things that had led to his journey to Tharsis, and it was beginning to weigh on his conscience.

"Oh! Hey dere, Cap'n Baldory!"

Baldory blinked and looked around for who was addressing him, then realized that it was Wynne, the much-beloved young blacksmith girl, and he had wandered all the way back to the Berund Atelier.

"Apparently I walk faster than I realized," Baldory mused. "I was just on the other end of town a few minutes ago."

"Hey, how come ya never come visit, anymore? Yer guild's always here, but ya never are!" Wynne complained.

"I've been busy, Wynne," Baldory explained. "I've had a lot here in town to do that's prevented me from going out with my guild, and by extension from visiting this shop."

"Why ya always so busy all da time?" Wynne asked.

"One of the stresses of being guild captain, I'm afraid," Baldory replied. "And speaking of stresses, I just remembered that I have another one to attend to. Sorry, Wynne, I don't mean to cut this conversion short."

"No, ya gots a job ta do, so jus go do it," Wynne said. "Den ya can come back here and visit s'more!"

Baldory chucked. "If there's still daylight when I'm done, certainly."

* * *

 **Tharsis, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 PM**

* * *

After making his way back to the inn, Baldory went up to Bernoryn's suite. Reluestis was passed out from exhaustion in a none-too-graceful position on his bed, snoring audibly. Baldory shook his head with a knowing smirk, then went to the desk and took his notebook back out for another entry.

"...Cap?"

Baldory turned, startled by the familiar voice behind him. It wasn't that he was afraid he'd been caught, it was that the voice in question belonged to someone who was usually not in bed in the early afternoon.

"What're you doing here, Cap?" Armelas asked groggily. She looked as though she had seen better days; she was stripped down to her undershirt, with a pair of lounge pants covering her bottom half for the sake of modesty; though by the looks of her, she probably wouldn't care if she was naked, if it helped life suck less. Her red bandana seemed to be repurposed as a damp rag over her forehead, and her usually vibrant reddish-blonde hair was matted from sweat and laid wildly about her head on the pillow. Her armor and equipment lay on the chair beside her in a messy heap; not at all how she usually treated her things.

"Dalla made me take a day off again. And you, Armelas? I'm very certain this isn't how you explore a Labyrinth," Baldory remarked.

"I wasn't feeling well, and Heilarzt made me come back," Armelas groaned.

"He didn't try and heal you?" Baldory inquired.

"I don't get it either. I think the others are still in the lobby if you want to talk to them about it," Armelas mumbled tiredly.

"Later. I have... important things to attend to first," Baldory said.

"What's with the notebook, Cap?" Armelas wondered.

"Never you mind. Just try and get some rest, since you're here," Baldory ordered.

"Mmkay," Armelas said quietly, settling back into her pillow.

Baldory shook his head sympathetically at the poor Landsknecht. She reminded him of just how unwell he was beginning to become. Then he focused back to his notebook...

* * *

 _Guild Captain's Report, Entry 5/15: "The Menial Tasks Squad"_

 _It may come as a surprise to learn this, because I know how excited to reach Yggdrasil you and so many others are, but not everybody in my guild seeks glory in exploring. There are those who are more than happy just to stay back in the city and enjoy their time here. In fact, Squad Four seems quite content with handling the equipment and expenditures of the rest of the guild, which is a more than respectable job in its own right._

 _They came to me early on and told me that they unanimously decided that the Labyrinth was more a challenge than they were ready to handle, and so requested that I not include them in my exploration roster. They then requested that they be allowed to handle the mental tasks for the guild instead, hence the nickname. Humility enough to do the little jobs happily, and realism enough to know when they're out of their element? Those are valuable traits that I've come to realize are more often than not rare to find in explorer's guilds; and besides, the others are usually so busy with training and the Labyrinths, and me with overseeing it all, that we're not in a position where we can tend to our own equipment, or upgrades to said equipment, so how could I possibly turn them down on their request?_

 _Now, normally, this would be the part where I would go down the list, name by name, and explain everybody's strengths and weaknesses - but because they're not combatants, I feel it makes more sense to just talk about squad four as the people I've come to know them to be._

 _Klintanz heads the group. He's a male Dancer, and is relatively good at it. Not for combat, just for the sake of dancing. Besides that, he has a keen eye for item quality, and won't consider the job done until he's certain that the quality of those items, after seeing use in combat, returns to the same quality that they were when they were first acquired, each and every single time he tends to them. Personality-wise, Klintanz reminds me a lot of the Baldory butler, in that he has a stern attitude while still being concerned with everybody else's enjoyment. You wouldn't think that would be his mindset when you first look at him - he looks so relaxed all the time. He's really not, though, he is an extremely hard worker._

 _Sounds familiar, right?_

 _Then we have Berenova. She's supposed to be a Fortress, although at this point I can safely assume that it's more so that she candle carrying heavy items easier than anything to do with combat, and heavy lifting appears to be her specialty. She seems to take offense to being called "cute," but I'm fairly certain that's her own fault. I mean, she wears her hair in these childish little pigtails, and as far as Fortresses are concerned, she's on the shorter side of the scale. Still head and shoulders above her squadmates, sure, but put next to Schiverta, you can tell the difference in height immediately. It's rare to see Berenova in her armor, since she's no real use for it, and she prefers to wear shorter-cut clothing that shows off her muscular features (I assume it's like this with most Fortresses, because Schiverta is the same way), but when you do catch her in uniform, she looks very... you know what, I believe the word I'm looking for is shiny. Because when you see her in her armor, it's so polished from not being used that, contrary to Schiverta's armor, which is so dust-covered that it only faintly glows in the light, Berenova's armor reflects the light right off and straight back into your eye and makes you start crying from the pain. ("Aw, Cap! I know I look good in this, but I didn't think you felt that way about me!" No, Berenova, I don't think of you that way, because I'm trying to maintain a professional demeanor. You've simply decided to stand in the worst possible position for my eyesight.)_

 _Moving on, there's Frauschut, the other female Sniper of my guild. I only have the two, if I didn't mention it before. She seems to take up archery more for sport, though, and her real strength lies more in repairing damaged equipment. I mean, obviously Wynne and her employer down at the Berund Atelier will forever be superior in this regard, but when the money's tight, Frauschut isn't a slouch, herself. She's the mother figure of the group, which doesn't surprise me because she's easily the oldest of them - thirty, I believe, to their mid-twenties. She holds her age well, though, and you couldn't tell by looking at her. And let all the naysayers who claim that thirty is where you begin your descent into old age be struck down now, because Frauschut is able to work from sunup to sundown with minimal breaks in between. I've seen her do it. Either she's taking a page from my book, or she's trying to out-workaholic me, I can't tell. She's winning though, if she is, because she's infinitely better rested than I am, or likely will be for the duration of my stay here._

 _That was meant in jest, don't be alarmed._

 _And much like Squad Two has two Landsknechts, Squad Four has two Runemasters - sisters, in fact. Walda and Geheimeis. They certainly don't look related, Walda with long, flowing blue hair and Geheimeis with short, curly red, but Walda insists they are the same blood, so I've chalked it up to them sharing one parent. Walda seems to be more the workhorse of the pair, not because Geheimeis is lazy, but because she appears to be narcoleptic. It's a wonder she's even able to wake up, given how frequently she falls right back asleep again. Gave Dalla quite a scare when she clocked out right in her soup one night._

 _Walda and Geheimeis are complete opposites in most every regard - Walda is awake, energized, and determined to see her work done if she has to give up sleeping to do it. She's got a sharp tongue and a sharper personality when she's busy, and it only cools down a little when she's not. She likes to handle the pocketbook for the guild, and I've more than once ended up on her list for accidentally overspending guild funds for top-of-the-line gear that we need, but just cannot afford. Geheimeis, conversely, is very lethargic all the time, and struggles mightily to stay awake long enough to see her work through to completion. She's much more laid back, and if you can get her to speak up beyond a mumble, she's actually a bit of a flirt. Although, I hate to say it, but I doubt she'll find many gentlemen of a... savory nature, what with her issue. Oh, she'll like as not attract many unsavory fellows, and I can only pray that Walda will be present to fend them off when or if she does. Geheimeis prefers to polish up equipment once everything else has already been done to it. And, personally speaking, I think I prefer her slow and steady method. She gets a shine out of most things that even I, with my military-strict standards, can't pull off._

 _I feel like there's some magic meddling involved, but I won't tell her that. I'd rather not risk offending her work ethic._

 _Normally, this would be the part where I talk about a particular instance of them doing a good job, but I really can't think of one that happened in the past, because they were all well done. So, I think the best solution here is to talk about what they did today, when I was wandering around town and happened to find myself at the Explorer's Guild Hall Armory along the way..._

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall Training Room, 1 PM (two hours ago)**

* * *

Baldory, during his short break from his report-writing, decided that it wouldn't hurt to check in on his people who were busy at the Guild Hall, and see what they had accomplished for the day. Because he had been forcibly given a day off, Baldory had appointed Aubatilde's squad to handle the rookie Squad Three's training. To his surprise, only Richter and Winifreda were present among the veterans.

"So?" Baldory asked, "How are they coming along?"

"Richter's got a crush on Aubatilde," Fechaden teased, poking the red-faced Landsknecht rookie jokingly. "He couldn't even hardly pick up his sword because he had so many hearts in his eyes!"

Richter shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of, Richter. Actually, I find it quite charming that you think so highly of me," Aubatilde consoled the boy, a sisterly smile lighting her features. Richter turned an even deeper shade of red when Aubatilde laid her arm around his shoulders in a little hug.

Baldory chuckled. "I knew it would come to light sooner or later. It's not like he was doing a good job of hiding it."

"He really wasn't," Medileben agreed.

"We could all tell," Jagedolph chimed in.

"And Nixie? How's she faring?" Baldory continued.

"Uh, check the clinic. I think I might have knocked her out by accident," Fechaden replied, scratching her head awkwardly.

"Oops," Baldory remarked, wincing.

"Oops is about what I said," Fechaden giggled, embarrassed by her accidental beatdown of the poor Dancer girl.

"Winifreda seemed a bit hesitant to work with me at first. I guess she and Heilarzt really had a bad day," Medileben reported. Winifreda either didn't hear him or was pretending to read as an excuse to studiously ignore the conversation.

"Didn't they make good with each other?" Baldory asked.

"Yeah, but Heilarzt is apparently a really, _really_ bad teacher. Winifreda said, straight up, that she didn't think I'd be able to teach her anything, 'because Heilarzt didn't.'" Medileben shrugged. "And then she ended up learning that Revival incantation Heilarzt was trying to teach her in a little under an hour. Figure that one out."

"Good, good. And can I assume Adsejag had a good day, as well?" Baldory then asked Jagedolph.

"Nope. I made her so nervous that she accidentally impaled her own foot and had to go to the clinic," Jagedolph replied.

"...The point of training is to _help_ the rookies, not hurt them worse than the Labyrinth would," Baldory clarified.

"Apparently, I didn't get that memo," Jagedolph chuckled.

"And Reluestis?" Baldory asked once more.

"Worn down again from training. I feel like the boy needs a stamina boost before I can think to train him anywhere else," Raurexen surmised.

"Well, we'll see to that, then. Now, since I'm here, I may as well check in on Squad Four. It's probably the same as usual, but it never hurts to be certain," Baldory mused.

"I heard Berry getting in a fuss with Walda a while ago. Might want to take a sword with you," Fechaden cautioned. "Berry" was her nickname for Berenova, which she only used when Berenova wasn't around to hear it.

"...Duly noted," Baldory replied.

* * *

 **Tharsis, Explorer's Guild Hall Armory, 1 PM** **(two hours ago)**

* * *

"Stop calling me cute, damn it!"

Not one second agree he walked into the room, Baldory had to five out of the way of an incoming hammer Berenova hurled at Walda, who had ducked it herself.

"Berenova! The next time I see you throw weapons at anybody that isn't a monster, I'll have your head!" Baldory barked.

"Gah! S-sorry, Cap!" Berenova recoiled in fright.

"What's going on, here?" Baldory demanded, his mood decidedly foul from the almost-injury he nearly incurred.

"All I said was that she looked cute in the outfit she's wearing, and then she got super pissed with me," Walda explained.

"It's called a compliment, Berenova, learn to take one," Frauschut sighed irritably, putting a noticeably more intense amount of pressure on the armor she was polishing than she normally did.

"Well, damn it! I'm not trying to be cute! Why does everybody say that about me?!" Berenova snapped.

"Probably because you wear your hair like a five year old," Baldory growled. "Now, are we done acting like children? I came here to check up on your day's progress, not play referee to some stupid damn argument."

Berenova pouted at Baldory's jab, but otherwise settled down. Baldory followed suit one he was certain the dispute had met its conclusion.

"So? What news?" Baldory asked.

"Squad One must have found some really valuable resource in the Labyrinth; they've been consistently selling off junk wares to be made into equipment for well over several hundred gold at a time," Walda reported, showing Baldory the account sheet she'd been compiling throughout the day.

"We've just about gotten Squad Two's gear back in working order again. I don't have a clue what they did last time they were out, but their stuff was a mess when they got back," Klintanz said whilst checking down the length of Aubatilde's rapier for perhaps the fiftieth time since he started working on it.

"Squad Six brought in a whole bunch of guard equipment that Bernoryn was requested to fix. Guess we're making something of a reputation for ourselves, but you'd think they'd just have Wynne do it," Frauschut remarked.

"Well, maybe those guards just didn't want to bug Wynne by bringing her all their broken stuff. I mean, it seems like they have to go to the Atelier every single day, you know?" Berenova piped up.

"Her job is blacksmithing and helping to sell wares. I don't really think she'd complain all that much," Frauschut replied.

Baldory nodded at the so far good news - but then noticed that Geheimeis was slumped over the chest plate she was polishing, not moving.

"Geheimeis!" Baldory called, snapping his fingers.

Geheimeis woke with a start and looked blearily around the room, trying to blink the sleep away.

"Oh, hey, Cap," she said tiredly as she noticed Baldory in the room.

"How goes the work, Gehei-?"

Before he could even finish his question, Geheimeis was out again.

"Hey! Geheimeis!" Baldory called out, snapping his fingers again.

Frauschut reached over and nudged Geheimeis awake again.

"You okay, kiddo? You've been a lot sleepier than usual today," Frauschut inquired.

"'M just tired," Geheimeis replied.

"You really need to get your narcolepsy looked at," Baldory advised her, worry evident in his eyes. "It's starting to become a real issue for you."

"Yessir," Geheimeis mumbled.

"She's been keeping herself as busy as she can," Walda said.

She wasn't wrong. Though Geheimeis was barely even awake, Baldory could see that she had managed to bring an almost otherworldly sparkle to several dozen swords, shields, daggers and other generally small things. It was the bigger pieces that were slowing her down.

"...Did any of you eat anything before you started working?" Baldory suddenly wondered.

"Uh... no, we just started working as soon as we woke up," Berenova replied.

"Well, there's the problem then," Baldory groaned. "Geheimeis barely functions without proper energy, and the rest of you get moody when you're drained. Go take a break at the Dancing Peacock, I'd say you've earned it at this point."

Klintanz continued working while the rest of his squadmates laid their work down (or dropped it, in the case of Geheimeis, who startled awake as a result).

"...Klintanz?" Baldory spoke.

Klintanz apparently didn't hear him.

"Klintanz," Baldory tried again, louder this time.

The Dancer finally took heed of Baldory's call.

"Sorry, captain. I wasn't sure if this was done yet." Klintanz laid Aubatilde's sword down gently on the bench as he stood up to leave.

"I think it's best to let Aubatilde decide, don't you?" Baldory commented, following him out.

* * *

 **Tharais, Saehrimnir Inn, 3 PM**

* * *

 _After they had taken some time to actually fuel themselves, Squad Four seemed much more ready to work. Geheimeis, though she still couldn't seem to stay awake, at least held out for longer than twenty seconds before she fell unconscious again. ("Aw, her hat fell off," was Walda's big complaint on the matter. Geheimeis has some interesting hat hair, by the way.)_

 _I did a quick count of what they had done already when they got back to it, and it was somewhere in the low hundreds. I fully expect that they'll continue working well into the night, so that number may very well increase to the upper-mid hundreds. Long story short, Squad Four makes up for what they aren't capable of in spades with what they are capable of._

 _And with that relatively short entry, my wrist is officially screaming curses of a most violent nature at me, so I think I should really stop here and continue on tomorrow._

Baldory cursed quietly to himself as he clutched at his aching arm. Apparently, three hours hadn't been enough time for it to relax, and the cramping was much worse now.

"This is ridiculous; have I really gotten to a point where I'm too weak to even write, now?" Baldory muttered to himself, flipping his notebook shut. Though he had initially intended to put it away, a thought came to him, and he instead took it out of the room - neither the sick Armelas or exhausted Reluestis even heard him leave.

* * *

Baldory dropped the notebook onto Dalla's desk for her to read while on his way to the lobby, where the rest of Squad One was located.

Nordauber signaled the others to his approach as he got within the Runemaster's line of sight, and the group turned and waved him over.

"So I hear Armelas was left to be sick, rather than healing her and carrying on?" Baldory inquired to Heilarzt.

"Yeah, unfortunately I'm not so hot on the illness cure incantations yet, so there wasn't anything I could really do," Heilarzt explained. "But besides that, we were hoping to catch you anyhow, since you were here all day."

"Is there a problem?" Baldory asked.

"No, actually. We're thinking we might have found something connected to that weird wind barrier blocking the north passage off," Schiverta said. "It looked like the same symbol that the weird alter at the passage's entrance has."

Baldory sat up a little bit straighter. "So we might have the key to progressing forward?"

"Maybe," Nachtdol replied. "But the problem is, the red bear we've been trying to track down? Yeah, damn thing is one of a herd, and their leader is this big fucker who kicked our asses immediately when we tried to fight him. Worse yet, he's sitting right on top of the damn key, if it is the key, so we have to beat him in order to proceed forward."

"We were hoping to convince you to allow us perhaps a month's training time, if that might give us the edge we need," Nordauber propositioned.

"And you have it. And once I've completed the... assignment that the Outland Count issued to the guild captains, I intend to join you," Baldory decided.

"Cap, if we take too long and miss our chance to jump on this-" Schiverta began.

"We won't. I don't see my assignment taking more than a few more days. That will be plenty of time for us to get the strength we need, deal with that leader bear, and be the first ones to see the land beyond the Grassy Plains," Baldory reasoned.

The members of Squad One looked at each other in surprise. Captain Baldory didn't seem so excitable before.

"Whatever you need to do to buff up, do it. We're not losing this chance," Baldory declared sternly. Standing up, he then said, "For now, though, take a load off. You've been doing good work so far, you've earned a break."

"Uh... thanks, Cap," Heilarzt said, taken aback.

"Call it my treat," Baldory said. "Though I think it only fair that Armelas be allowed in on it; she did help after all."

On that note, Baldory went back upstairs to fetch Armelas.

"...Goodness, he seemed energetic all of a sudden," Dalla noted as she wandered back to her desk. Spying the notebook, she quickly stowed it somewhere safe for when she would read it later.


End file.
